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Steamboat Springs — A solemn mood permeated City of Steamboat Springs offices Monday, a day after 47-year-old Sports Coordinator Kit Rice died at Yampa Valley Medical Center.

"Our recreation division, we were really a family, and Kit was a integral part of that family," Recreation Supervisor Susan Petersen said Monday. "She'll be really missed for her ethic, her passion and just her incredible humor. She was really fun. She was always there with a smile and overwhelming friendliness."

Routt County Coroner Rob Ryg confirmed Rice's cause of death after an autopsy Monday, and he said it appears to be unrelated to Rice's collision with another player during a kickball tournament at Howelsen Hill on Friday.

"The official cause of death is a bilateral pulmonary emboli," Ryg said. "It's really hard to tell what caused that. : It's a blood clot that finds its way to the lungs. : No injury could be seen from an accident that she had at the kickball tournament. There was no major injury from that that the pathologist could tell."

Rice drove herself to the hospital Friday evening after colliding with another player during the second annual Kickball Klassic sponsored by NRC Broadcasting.

Ryg said Monday that Rice appeared to be improving throughout the course of the weekend before dying suddenly Sunday morning.

Deputy City Manager Wendy DuBord said the city was working on setting up grief counseling for employees in the city's Parks, Open Space and Recreational Services Department and was assisting Rice's family with lodging arrangements. DuBord described Rice's death as "a shock to all of us."

"The city will help in any way we can," DuBord said. "From my perspective, she was always smiling, positive, really appeared to like working for the city and working with people."

Petersen recalled fond memories from as recent as last week, when several city employees attended the 2008 Colorado Parks and Recreation Association conference in Vail.

Petersen said Rice was more than a coworker to those she worked with and "exemplified being a friend to everyone."

"She'll be irreplaceable in that realm," Petersen said.

Rice began working for the city of 1998 as a seasonal employee in the parks division. She became a full-time employee in 2002 and sports coordinator three years ago. Petersen said an event such as last weekend's kickball tournament was right up Rice's alley.

"She loved any sport," Petersen said. "She was always willing to participate."

No information regarding a funeral for Rice was available Monday.

- To reach Brandon Gee, call 871-4210 or e-mail bgee@steamboatpilot.com