Santa Rosa man dies in accident at Grand Canyon

A man who died April 3 in a fall over the edge of the Grand Canyon while alone at the national park was from Santa Rosa, authorities said Friday.

Michael Obritsch, 67, fell over the canyon rim east of Yavapai Geology Museum, located on the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village, National Park Service officials said in a statement.

His body was recovered 400 feet below the rim by the park’s helicopter and technical rescue team.

In an obituary, family said Obritsch died in “a tragic accident” while vacationing at the park.

“His warm, friendly personality, intelligence, dedication, kindness, and his sense of fun will be greatly missed,” his family said in an obituary.

Obritsch graduated from Piner High School and earned a degree in mathematics from UC Davis, according to the obituary. He worked for many years at PacBell in San Ramon as a computer analyst before moving back to Santa Rosa about 15 years ago. After retiring, he worked part-time for several local pool and spa companies.

Ron Touchstone, owner of Touchstone Pool Service in Windsor, knew Obritsch for over 20 years. The two first met in Bible study at Spring Hills Church in Santa Rosa, and Obritsch later worked for Touchstone’s company for over 15 years.

“He was just a great guy. To know him was to love him,” Touchstone said.

He described Obritsch as “the best-read man I’ve ever met,” and said he stayed active in the church, selling books and leading youth groups. Obritsch would often impress him and other employees at the pool service company with his ?intelligence and the depth of his knowledge, Touchstone said.

“We referred to him as our chemical guru,” he said. “The chemistry can be pretty intricate and he really took a liking to that part of the job, and he knew it well. … A lot of the junior guys would go to him for advice.”

Obritsch worked as a salesman at Johnson Pool & Spa in Santa Rosa for the last three years. Tina Feeney, co-owner of the business, said Obritsch became well-known at the store, where customers would often ask for him specifically.

“He was kind of the face of our business down there,” she said. “He was always in a good mood, was happy to come to work.”

Lee Young, one of Obritsch’s co-workers at Johnson Pool & Spa, said he was known to customers as a friendly guy with a deep knowledge of his hometown.

“He was very knowledgeable about Sonoma County,” Young said. “People would come in and just talk (with him) for hours, about everything.”

Obritsch is survived by his sister, Nicolette Hinch, a nephew and a niece.

A celebration of his life will take place later this month. Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Sonoma County.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Beale at 707-521-5205 or andrew.beale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @iambeale.