Englewood, Colorado, is mourning a city leader who never made it home from a mountain hike.

Mayor Pro Tem Joe Anderson died Friday, August 28, while hiking Quandary Peak in Summit County. He was 45.

Other hikers tried to save him after he lost consciousness and stopped breathing. Emergency personnel continued efforts but he died at the scene.

Summit County deputies responded early Friday morning after receiving a report of an unconscious hiker who had ceased breathing. The man died at the scene, though his identity was not initially disclosed.

Englewood confirmed Anderson’s death during that morning hike in Summit County. The coroner will determine the cause of death, which has not yet been announced.

Anderson served on the city council for four years before becoming mayor pro tem in 2023. His current council term was set to run through November 2027.

Outgoing City Manager Shawn Lewis recalled Anderson checking on him during difficult periods and offering prayer when Lewis’ parents were hospitalized during the pandemic.

Mayor Othoniel Sierra described Anderson as a man who readily helped friends, neighbors and constituents, calling his death “a tremendous loss for our city” and extending condolences to his family.

Prior to his election as mayor pro tem, Anderson had served on the City Council since 2019. He worked on housing, homelessness, transportation and stormwater infrastructure. After the city’s deadly 2018 flooding, he pushed for plans to repair and expand the aging drainage system while accounting for what residents and businesses could afford.

Anderson also worked in pastoral roles at local churches, helped found the Change the Trend coalition, and coordinated a major annual volunteer effort that became the Neighborhood Rehab Project. This initiative assisted older residents and neighbors with disabilities in securing home repairs.

Voters elected him to represent District 3 in November 2019 and re-elected him for another four-year term in November 2023.

The incident occurred on Quandary Peak’s lower slopes, one week after a photograph of the mountain’s upper east ridge was taken.