James Breeden, general manager of the Colorado Springs Marriott Hotel and a leader in the city’s hotel and tourism industries, died Monday when his vehicle crashed into a fence in a residential area in Rockrimmon, police confirmed.

Breeden, 65, was thrown from his green Jeep Wrangler when it hit a fence and landed on its side in a backyard by Freemont Circle and South Rockrimmon Boulevard, police Lt. Catherine Buckley said.

Bruce Eskew, a local accountant and neighbor of Breeden in Rockrimmon, called Breeden 
a “devoted husband, father, respected businessman who was always a good host. He liked to entertain and friends and neighbors were always welcome at this home. He always had a good story to tell and he was quick to help his neighbors, particularly the elderly. He enjoyed running with the Jack Quinn’s Running Club and mountain biking with his wife.”

Breeden was pronounced dead at the scene about 8:10 a.m. and investigators did not immediately know what caused the fatal wreck.

“We are not sure if there was a medical event that may have led to this or not,” Buckley said. “We will wait for the coroner’s office to complete an autopsy.”

As general manager of the Colorado Springs Marriott, Breeden spearheaded a 
$15 million renovation project to the 311-room hotel that was completed in mid-2007.

He was honored by Marriott International Inc. with its Mustang Award for his role in evacuating the hotel during the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 and was named general manager of the year by The Procaccianti Group, a Rhode Island company that owns the hotel and 58 others in 21 states.

He came to Colorado Springs to oversee conversion of the hotel from Wyndham to Marriott after spending nine years as general manager of an Embassy Suites hotel in Richmond, Va. He began his hotel career as a bartender and worked his way into management.

Breeden served as president of the Pikes Peak Lodging Association for six years and as treasurer of the Colorado Springs Visitors Bureau since 2010.

“Jim was immediately elected to the board (of the lodging association) when he arrived in Colorado Springs and served two terms. Not only was he respected in the industry, he was honest, hard-working, steadfast and fair in his opinions,” said Ann Alba, a Broadmoor hotel executive who succeeded him as the association’s president. “He was very methodical about doing what was right for the tourism industry. He will be missed by his many friends and colleagues in the industry.”

Industry officials expressed shock and sadness over Breeden’s death.

“We are deeply saddened to hear this news. Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” the bureau said in a statement Tuesday.

Breeden was born Sept. 1, 1948, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and served three years in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, including fighting in the Tet Offensive. He married Sandra Messick on June 23, 1985, in Baltimore.

Family members describe Breeden as a “lover of good food and wine (who) was often found in the kitchen. His favorite hobbies including driving his Jeep, hiking, mountain biking, watching movies, reading James Bond books and spending time with his girls.”

Breeden is survived by his wife, Sandra Messick Breeden; three daughters, Madeleine Einfalt, Marguerite Breeden and Mackenzie Breeden, all of Colorado Springs, and a brother, Lenny Breeden of Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Plans for a memorial service are incomplete.

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Contact Andrea Sinclair: 636-0235

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