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Enrique "Rick" Almirall

Enrique “Rick” Almirall was born in 1915 in Jamaica British West Indies and died Dec. 15, 2011. His wife of 56 years, Imogene, was Roger McCarty’s sister. That makes his daughter, Rita Bergman, a cousin-in-law to Cindy McCarty. Rita also is a member of the Timber Creek Charities board of directors. She and her husband William Bergman live in Keystone, Colo.

“Dad was familiar with Timber Creek and attended the very first dedication ceremony in the fall of 2001,” says Rita. “My first husband, Don Gillespie, was influential in encouraging Cindy to pursue her dream of starting Timber Creek. Dad was aware of this, and chose Timber Creek as his charity of choice.”  

Rita says her husband Don was the first person to select Timber Creek as his memorial charity of choice, so when he died in August 2001, all memorial money was donated to Timber Creek Charities.  

“Timber Creek wasn't yet completely operational, just in its infancy. Cindy honored Don by dedicating the riding arena to him and a sign hangs there in his honor,” Rita says. “My father was very touched by Cindy's generous acknowledgment of Don's inspirational influence.”

“We both felt it was a means for Don to ‘live on’ and inspire others with his example of courage and integrity,” Rita says. “Cindy has told me many clients ask who Don Gillespie was. She is able to tell his story again and again. It means the world to me, and my father knew this.”

More than $1,300 was donated to Timber Creek Charities in Enrique Almirall’s memory.