GRAND LAKE — Two Grand Lake citizens are being honored as 2013 Citizens of the Year.

Deb Gahan, of Grand Angels, and Kathy Means, of the Grand Lake Area Historical Association, are being recognized for their countless contributions to the community, upholding what Rotarians call “Service Above Self.”

Deb Gahan is known to the community to “work with her hands and her heart.” She is a leader in the Grand Angels mission group, and serves as a bookkeeper for Grand Angels and the Trinity Church of the Pines. She has great empathy for those in the community who are in need of assistance, and has been known to provide a shoulder to cry on, a prayer, and has even assisted with rent and groceries. She also helps children in the community through Joyful Givers and Grand Kids.

Gahan and her husband Bob purchased a second home in Grand Lake in 1998, and by 2000, they were full-time residents. Coming from a rural town in Mississippi, Deb Gahan describes her philanthropic philosophy generated from being raised on the “five f’s”: friendship, family, football, faith, and food. She said she believes Grand Lake is Grand because of its people, and said she is honored and humbled by the recognition.

Kathy Means is described as a “stalwart member and supporter of the Grand Lake Area Historical Society.” She has loyally and continuously contributed to the community since she and her husband Bob moved to the area in 1996. She has conducted substantial research for many of the Kauffman House Museum’s finest exhibits, including “Riding, Roping, and Ranching: Grand Lake’s Olde- Time Ranches,” and “Holidays Around the World.” She has compiled several booklets and brochures for the Grand Lake Area Historical Society, donating over 900 hours annually. However, Means’ work does not stop with the Kauffman House and the Historical Society. She has also been a Rocky Mountain National Park volunteer for more than thirteen years. She is a member of the Grand Lake Women’s Club and is also a volunteer at the Juniper Library. “It’s really… actually really… impossible to list all the ways that Kathy Means has quietly, with no expectation of fanfare, supported our community,” said one community member.

The Grand Lake Rotary will recognize both women for their contribution to the Grand Lake area during a banquet on Oct. 4.