Obituary of Albert Hyun Jin Baretich

Albert arrived from South Korea into the waiting arms of his delighted parents in April of 1989 at Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado.  He was 4 months old.  Albert was a sweet child who grew into a little boy who loved books and building, family, friends and food.  He charmed those who loved him with his funny sayings and wise pronouncements.

Growing up, Albert was a voracious reader and excelled at Legos and video games. He liked to go fishing and exploring and typically had his sister Anna, brother Stephen, or a friend by his side everywhere he went. He showed a knack for cooking at an early age, coming up with dishes that his siblings remember as delicious, but unlike anything they’d ever had before!

Albert parlayed his love of food into his life’s work, honing his craft at the many restaurants he was part of over the years.  Steuben’s restaurant in Arvada, Colorado is in a class by itself—it was here that Albert was able to truly express his creativity as a chef and develop his potential.  Over time, several of his creations landed on the menu.  Albert was promoted to sous chef at Steuben’s and was very proud of his accomplishments there.  When they had their Iron Chef contest, Albert’s team won the competition.

While working at Steuben’s Albert met Amanda and they quickly became inseparable.  Amanda speaks of Albert as her “person and soulmate.” They enjoyed each other and their life together. 

Albert and Amanda were building a life together while working together at Steuben’s, he in the back of the house, and she in the front.  The management at Steuben’s takes good care of their customers and employees alike.  At Steuben’s, employees become friends while working toward a common goal and consider themselves part of the Steuben’s “family”. This fact became evident on Christmas Eve at the restaurant, when Albert collapsed while working on the line.  His friends called 911 immediately and got him to a nearby hospital in record time.  

We learned that Albert had a cerebral hemorrhage, literally a “brain bleed”.  He had emergency neurosurgery and spent the next week in neuro critical care at nearby Lutheran Medical Center.  The nurses and medical staff took excellent care of Albert, but his injury was so severe that it was not survivable. Surrounded by those who loved him, life support was discontinued on December 31, 2019.

During the week that Albert was in the hospital, Amanda stayed at the hospital night and day, and her family gave us warm hugs and brought home-made food to sustain us.  Steuben’s managers and employees came by in a constant stream, providing more food, hugs and wonderful stories of their time with Albert.  Anna and Stephen were a constant presence in Albert’s room that week, supporting the brother that they loved.

All of us miss Albert every day but our hearts are glad that he made that journey long ago to come and build a family with us in Colorado.  We are enriched beyond measure by having known and loved him, and to have been loved by him in return.