Obituary – Arapahoe Philharmonic conductor suffers fatal heart attack during concert
Vincent LaGuardia, Jr., 68, conductor of the Arapahoe Philharmonic, died March 9 after collapsing on stage during a performance at Mission Hills Church in Littleton. Physicians in the audience could not revive the esteemed conductor, who suffered a fatal heart attack during the first piece of the evening, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue. LaGuardia has led [...]
Obituary – Erna Butler leaves a legacy of local philanthropy
By Glory Weisberg Erna Butler died Feb. 2 after a life of supporting a wide range of nonprofits. Known for her friendly nature, she was out and about most recently at the Dec. 16 Colorado Symphony Orchestra kickoff luncheon for the new guild, Women of Note. She was born Erna Dalton, June 1, 1922, in [...]
Obituary – Sally Patricia Hewitt Daniel: Oct. 13, 1946 – Feb. 7, 2012
Sally Patricia Hewitt Daniel was born in Mansfield, La., to Lt. Col. Charles Edward Hewitt and his wife Frances Ellen Rogers. Although she was reared in Louisiana, the Hewitt family lived all over the world on U.S. Army installations. She stayed close to home to attend Louisiana Tech in Ruston, and graduated with a degree [...]
Obituary – Milford Hall ‘Sonny’ Brinkerhoff, Feb. 14, 1920 – Dec. 28, 2011
Sonny was born in Shreveport, La., on Valentine’s Day 1920 to Zachary and Laura Brinkerhoff, who, upon his arrival exclaimed, “my sunny little valentine.” As the youngest of five children, he lived on “Last Chance” Plantation where the Texas Oil Company made an oil discovery launching the family into the oil business. After moving to Dallas in [...]
Obituary – Walter A. Koelbel, Sr., developer, business leader philanthropist, dies Christmas Day at age 85
Walter A. Koelbel, Sr., builder and developer who during the past 55 years set many trends in Denver’s residential and commercial real estate development, died Christmas Day. Koelbel, founder and CEO of Denver-based real estate developer Koelbel and Company, was 85. Koelbel died following a long battle with Alzheimer’s. “He was an icon in Colorado’s [...]
Obituary – Patricia Kaspar-Coles, 1937-2011
Patricia Kaspar-Coles, 74, of Centennial, died Sept. 30. Pat was born on March 17, 1937, in Omaha, Neb., to Walter and Mary Kaspar. She graduated from Benson High School in 1955, and from Colorado State College in 1959. She was in Zeta Tau Alpha at the University of Omaha (‘55-56), but because there was no [...]
Obituary – Former Arapahoe County Commissioner dies at 78: Nicholl was longest serving in state
Submitted by Arapahoe County Former Arapahoe County Commissioner John Nicholl, who served for 24 years, died Oct. 4 at age 78. The lifelong resident of Englewood represented District 1 from 1965 to 1981 and again from 1989 to 1997. First elected at age 31, Nicholl was the youngest commissioner in the state at the time. [...]
Obituary – Isaiah Kelley, Jr., 1948-2011
Isaiah Kelley, Jr., 63, died June 26 of a heart attack. Isaiah Kelley Jr. was born in Sumter, S.C., one of nine children and graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Ohio. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Public Relations from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. In 1972 he met and [...]
Obituaries – Ray Moses, J. Gordon Milliken
Famed Colorado water lawyer Ray Moses dies at 97 Raphael J. (Ray) Moses III, a nationally known water lawyer, died on June 8 at the age of 97. Moses founded the law firm of Moses, Wittemyer, Harrison and Woodruff, P.C. in Boulder. Prior to 1962, his law practice had been in Alamosa. Ray Moses was [...]
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