For nearly two decades, Judge Denise Lynch has started her days at the Garfield County Courthouse with structure, precision and an unrelenting calendar.

For Judge John Neiley, it’s often begun with a bike ride along the Roaring Fork River, followed by a docket that could range from real estate disputes to murder trials.

Now, after a combined 31 years on the 9th Judicial District bench, both judges are preparing to step away from the courtroom — and into the next chapter of their lives.

Neiley will retire Oct. 7. Lynch follows on Nov. 29. Their departures mark the end of an era for a bench they helped shape — and, in Lynch’s case, helped diversify.

“I was the first woman on this bench,” Lynch said. “It was all men for many years. Now, we’re mostly women. That’s progress.”

Born and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Lynch moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1995. After working in personal injury law and serving in the Garfield County Attorney’s Office, she was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens in 2006 to replace the late Judge Tom Craven.

Nineteen years later, she’s ready to trade gavels for river cruises and African safaris.

“I want to enjoy life before I get too old to do so,” said Lynch, who turns 68 in September. “I want spontaneity back. As a judge, your calendar owns you.”

Her plans? A Fourth of July gathering with family on Mackinac Island in 2026, a return to Tanzania for safari, and a Viking river cruise through France. In between, she might just walk dogs at the local shelter and start hiking again.

Neiley, 66, isn’t quite ready to walk dogs — but he’ll be casting flies.

A lifelong skier and fly fisherman, Neiley said it was the Roaring Fork’s waters, trails and pace that pulled him and his wife out of Breckenridge in 2006.

“I was tired of nine months of winter and three months of marginal skiing,” he said, laughing.

He brought with him a wide-ranging legal background — Federal Trade Commission, insurance defense, land use and development — and a realization in 2013 that he’d built enough golf courses to last a lifetime.

“When I saw a new judgeship had opened, I figured if I didn’t go for it, I’d never know,” he said. “It’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.”

Neiley was appointed to the newly created fifth judgeship in the 9th Judicial District and rose to chief judge in 2023. He said he’ll miss the collegiality of the bench and the meaningful, if often heavy, work — particularly family law cases and criminal trials involving children.

“You see things you can’t unsee,” he said. “But the role we play in resolving disputes peacefully — it’s vital. I feel good about the work we’ve done.”

He and his wife are planning a saltwater fly fishing trip to the Yucatán in October, just weeks after his final day on the bench. South America’s on the docket for 2026: a three- to four-week trek from Chile to Argentina, possibly wrapping up in Buenos Aires.

Lynch, too, said her decision to retire was driven by timing, health and the desire to make space.

“This job is stimulating — every day you learn something new. But it’s also stressful,” she said. “It’s time to let someone younger take over. My husband retired two years ago. We want to do more things together.”

What they’ll both miss most: the people.

“The judges here are first rate,” Lynch said. “They’re all very dedicated, they’re all very smart, they’re all dedicated to justice. The people in the 9th Judicial District are very lucky.”

The 9th Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet Aug. 18 at the Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs to select nominees for both vacancies. Appointments will be made by the governor.

Applicants must be qualified electors of the district and have practiced law in Colorado for at least five years. Judges serve an initial two-year provisional term, followed by six-year terms if retained by voters.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Aug. 1 and can be accessed at coloradojudicial.gov/careers/judge-opportunities.

Neiley and Lynch won’t be part of the decision that selects their successors — but they step away knowing the 9th Judicial District, and the Garfield County courtrooms they’ve long served, will be in capable hands.

After decades of public service and thousands of cases, both judges say they’re ready to embrace whatever comes next — the quiet, the freedom, the spontaneity.

“I think I want to stop at the crest of the wave,” Neiley said, “and just surf out the rest of it.”