Matt Dangel was -- and still is -- deeply loved and treasured by all who knew him, and while he was known to sit with others in their pain, he also was their greatest cheerleader, despite his own struggles.
Now his legacy will live on through "Matt Dangel's House," a new sober living home for men in Cañon City.
Bobby Sanghvi, who had worked as a peer specialist since 2014, met Dangel in 2021. When talking to Dangel and others in the community, Sanghvi came to realize that there are few options for long-term living for those with substance use disorders, where they could have help to remain sober.
A place that could give them a second chance to restart their lives.
Sanghvi left his job so that he could help others seek growth in their own lives. He purchased the house at 3525 El Dorado Drive, became state certified by the Colorado Association for Recovery Residences and then officially opened Matt Dangel's House in January 2022.
Matt Dangel was no stranger to "new starts." Sanghvi's idea for the home, to commit it to the purpose of providing support for sober living, along with the opportunity for a fresh start, was born out of "doing life" with Matt Dangel.
The house can accommodate eight men.
"I want my guys to win," Sanghvi said. "Every little win is a bigger win and it's an accomplishment. I tell my guys to accumulate the wins."
Unfortunately, Dangel died Jan. 10, 2022, and never was able to make a fresh start at the new home, which now is named in his honor.
Dangel's family is pleased that the recovery house is named in Matt Dangel's honor and that it will leave a legacy for others, especially his two daughters and his grandchild whom he never was able to meet.
"It means a lot to our family," said Kryssie (Dangel) Holloran, Matt Dangel's sister. "I am very, very, very appreciative."
Patti Dangel said her son was open about his struggles, and although they were difficult for him and he carried a burden of shame, he became a person filled with humility, compassion and empathy for others.
"In that, he became less lost toward the end of the process," she said. "He had more of a purpose because he was able to share his heart with others. He could hear others when they were struggling. He took time to listen to their situation and he would share with them what he had learned through resources and experiences."
He walked alongside those individuals, if they wanted company, just to be part of their day and to let them know that they were not alone.
"Matt was a lot of fun," Patti Dangel said. "He was a creative personality - he lit up a room when he walked in a room. People felt comfortable around him."
He worked several years in construction, ultimately becoming a project manager. The nuances and struggles of addiction took hold and took his life in another direction, but he still worked effortlessly to try to regain his balance in life, Patti Dangel said.
"He never gave up on trying to be the person that he knew he could be and that he had been in the past, not just for himself, but mainly for his girls," she said. "His faith in God remained intact throughout the entire process - through the beginning of addiction and through the entire addiction process that cost him dearly in life - it cost him his home, it cost him his job, it cost him his sense of self-worth."
Matt Dangel experienced and maintained a full year of sobriety before his passing. His sisters, Kryssie (Dangel) Holloran and Stephanie Dangel said their brother was more than his final moments here, more than his addiction and more than his struggles.
"Matt was somebody who created community around him no matter where he lived," Stephanie Dangel said. "People felt safe with him during all phases of his life. That is just who he was."
He also championed others and wanted them to win, even in the midst of depression or sobriety.
"A lot of people depended on him for strength and wisdom and guidance to get through their own processes," Stephanie Dangel said. "He truly had so much experience and wisdom to offer and really guided people to places out of the darkness for them."
His family said he didn't give up, but rather, he was tired, and they were tired for him.
"We don't see this as somebody who gave up on his family or on himself, it's just a really tragic end with somebody who was very, very tired," Stephanie Dangel said. "He spent a lot of his energy helping other people, but in a way, it gave back to him, as well. That's how he kept his community."
Despite years of happiness and success in his life, Matt Dangel struggled a great deal with shame.
"'Shame' has a negative feel to it, but it is what he felt," Stephanie Dangel said. "...I think as we talk about people that have an addiction and the people who might come into the home, it is important that we normalize them as human beings and not as addicts. They are not there as addicts, they are there as human beings working on an addiction, and we need to talk about them as people as opposed to a disorder. That removes shame."
The Matt Dangel House will exemplify all that was important to its namesake: building community, encouraging others in their sobriety and offering a safe space.
"I think that had he been in the house, I think it would have added to the list of Matt Dangel's community members who joined his club," Stephanie Dangel said.
To learn more about Matt Dangel's House or to inquire about vacancies, call 719-602-4650 or visit https://www.facebook.com/MattDangelshouse. Individuals who have been convicted of a sexual assault or arson charge are not eligible to apply.
For those who need to talk, the Colorado Crisis Line is free, confidential and available 24/7 by calling 1-844-493-8255 or texting TALK to 38255. There also is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 for free, confidential support at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or call the new Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Those looking for a local resource may call Solvista Health at 719-275-2351.
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