DENVER (KDVR) — UCHealth and the Denver Broncos teamed up to make a family’s first Father’s Day without their patriarch a bit brighter.
Bruce Walthour, a father to six, grandfather to 18, was a true Broncos super fan. One step into he and his wife Laura Weston’s home, it’s clear their basement is the place to spend Sunday nights if you like the Orange and Blue.
“I remember being this big, and every wall was covered,” daughter Ashley Walthour said.
“He started watching them in the 70s until we got to watch them together last year, that was our last game together,” Weston said.
Weston never imagined that this past season would have been the last with her super fan. Earlier this year, the family suddenly lost its team captain at 54 years old.
“My husband ended up having heart disease that nobody knew about, he had a heart attack for three days still going to work having a heart attack,” Weston said.
Walthour went into University of Colorado Hospital and 10 days later, his wife said he went into cardiac arrest four times. A week after that, he passed away.
“Fun times, not fun times, he was our glue and to have him go unexpectedly was so hard, everyday is just as hard,” Ashley said.
Right before their first Father’s Day without Walthour, UCHealth surprised the Walthour-Weston family with a special signed Cortland Sutton jersey. Sutton also sent them a personal video message.
The surprise brought the entire family to tears with gratitude. The jersey itself is extra special because of what the Broncos meant to the family during their time at the hospital.
“I wore one of his jerseys every single day up there just to show him I was honoring him,” Weston said. “This is overwhelming knowing people who didn’t know him show much love for him and his Broncos.”