The Story Behind the Name: Joey Reuter Adopt-a-Road

If you drive along Niwot Road, you have surely passed at least one of two small purple signs. Both say "Adopt-a-Road;" one is near the intersection of Longview Drive and the other is just east of the Diagonal Highway intersection. They are both worth taking notice of, because they commemorate the life of a very special boy.

Joey Reuter lived in Peppertree Estates in the mid-1990's. The location near downtown was fortunate for Joey, because he spent much of his after-school life in the heart of Niwot, making himself a fixture in its businesses and in the lives of Niwot's business owners.

"I think he knew everybody in every business," said Joey's father, John Reuter. "He used to hang out with Howard (Treppeda)."

"He'd ask a million questions," added Susan Reuter, Joey's mom. "He wanted to make flyers for the hairdresser in town. The liquor store knew him. And the business owners would turn to us and say, 'He's a good kid.'"

His favorite hangout was the Oilme Bikes & Board shop. Joey was a bike enthusiast and soaked up as much information as he could.

"He wanted to learn how to fix bikes. He got me doing it," John Reuter laughed. "I was a jogger. I never liked to ride bikes."

Joey must have learned plenty through all his questions, because he started a couple of businesses of his own. For instance, he would gather up movie rentals from friends and neighbors and return them to Niwot's video store for 25-cents apiece.

The memory still makes his dad chuckle. "Twenty-five cents meant something back then."

Niwot's businesses were a friendly, comfortable place for Joey in a way that school often wasn't. He suffered from Tourette Syndrome, which causes nearly uncontrollable tics or blurts. His family thinks today he'd be considered high functioning on the autism spectrum.

"The bullying was very hard on him," Joey's mom said. After gym class, Joey would tell her, "Nobody picks me. I'm always there. I'm standing there." Susan remembered asking Joey how he responded. "I just ran with the one team," he told her.

That resilience was one of Joey's hallmarks, said his sister, Tara Shannon, who remembers him as a funny, happy kid. "He was bullied, but it didn't stop him from making friends. It didn't seem to get him down for long. He was affected by it, but it didn't break his spirit."

By eighth grade, life at school began to look up. Joey was invited by a group of boys to ski at Eldora Mountain on November 8, 1996. It was a holiday at the Catholic school he attended, St. John the Baptist in Longmont.

His parents expressed doubt about letting him go. The day was windy and icy, and while Joey was comfortable with adults, social situations with his peers could be tough on him. Susan Reuter tried bribing her son with a new pair of rollerblades, and recalled his very emphatic. "'No Mom, there's no way. I'm going with the guys!"

John gave Joey his business card, so Joey could call if he wanted to come home early.

The International Skiing History Association estimates that use of ski helmets grew 15 times greater between 1995 and 2010. In 1996, when Joey was 13 and heading to Eldora, helmets had yet to gain much traction on the slopes. Joey wasn't wearing one.

On his very first run of the day, Joey caught an icy patch and lost control. He hit a tree and suffered traumatic brain injury. Because the day was so windy, Flight for Life couldn't get to the mountain, but Susan said it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Joey's injury was fatal. She said a nearby skier – a mother herself -- saw the accident and immediately went to Joey, cradling him and talking until well after he stopped breathing.

There are a number of memorials to Joey in the area: a plaque at Eldora; a bench and stained glass window at St. John the Baptist; and a Woody Woodpecker sculpture at Peppertree Estates, (because when the sculptor asked Susan about Joey's favorite animal, what came to mind was that he loved Woody Woodpecker).

After a few years, Susan and John looked for ways to help channel their grief. Susan trained guide dogs for the blind. John had the idea of adopting a road in Joey's name. He originally wanted to focus on Niwot Road, but that was taken at the time, so he started with 95th Street.

"There's a lot of naughty stuff that people throw out of their car," John's eyes widened as he described the trash along 95th Street. "Meth (paraphernalia), beer cans. It took about ten years of that until I got this dreamy Niwot Road."

Now the Reuters are responsible for the stretch of Niwot Road from Longview Drive west to the Diagonal. John takes care of most of it, with some help from his grandkids. He described Niwot Road as a "cakewalk," but said it still holds some surprises. "All kinds of clothing. All kinds." He said teens will honk at him as he's picking up litter, and cyclists frequently call out "thanks for doing that."

According to Boulder County's Public Works Department, Adopt-a-Road requires a minimum of two cleanups per year – one in spring and one in fall. Available stretches of road are usually one to two miles long. Participants must agree to separate recyclable materials and abide by all safety rules. The program is free, and the county provides bags, safety vests and two signs, printed with either business or personal names.

For John and Susan, those signs can't help but spark memories. Almost 26 years have passed since Joey died, and the Reuters talked freely about where their journey through grief has taken them.

"I'll be so happy, but there's always something... somebody is missing," Susan shared. "He's not there making us laugh. Or irritating us."

"I rarely will come down Niwot Road from the Diagonal, but that's when I really think of it," John said. "I daydream about all the old people and all the old stores..."

...and no doubt, the curious, friendly boy who became an extraordinary fixture for all of them.