Fred Betz Jr., former co-publisher of the Lamar Daily News, a University of Colorado regent and an activist in the Democratic Party, died Sept. 25 at an Arizona care center near his Casa Grande home. He was 83 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, The Denver Post reports.
The Daily News, now called The Lamar Ledger, was run by Betz and/or his father, the late Fred Betz Sr., for decades, beginning with the purchase by Betz Sr. in 1920.
Whether as a lawyer, a politician or a man battling pancreatic cancer for six years, Tom Farley will be remembered for his brilliance, humor and tenacity.
Farley died Monday afternoon at Parkview Medical Center, an institution he served as legal counsel for more than 30 years, The Pueblo Chieftain reports. He was 75.
Former Congressman Ray Kogovsek was with his longtime friend just minutes before Farley died, surrounded by family.
In other coverage
The Fort Collins Coloradoan: Longtime Puebloan Tom Farley, a member of the CSU System Board of Governors, died Monday afternoon after an illness, a university spokeswoman said. Farley served as a state representative from Pueblo from 1967-1975 and was an attorney and senior partner in Petersen & Fonda in Pueblo specializing in education and health-care law.
Rocky Mountain Collegian: Tom Farley, a CSU-System Board of Governors member who was battling cancer, died Monday afternoon at age 75. The governor appoints members of the board under usual circumstances. In the event of a death or resignation of a board member, the other members will choose someone to fill the empty seat and serve through the remainder of Farley’s term, which was slated to end on Dec. 31, 2011.
GOV. RITTER STATEMENT REGARDING DEATH OF TOM FARLEY
Gov. Bill Ritter issued the following statement today regarding the death of Tom Farley, a member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors:
“Tom was a long-time friend whose heart always belonged to Pueblo. He was an incredible public servant, having served in the state Legislature, on the Colorado Wildlife Commission, the state Board of Agriculture and most recently on the CSU board. He was a fierce advocate for higher education and was enthusiastic about every cause and every issue he tackled. Combine his passion and commitment with a great sense of humor, and he was just a wonderful person to be around. He served the state in invaluable ways and he will be sorely missed. Jeannie and I send our deepest condolences to Tom’s family, friends and colleagues.”
Former Southwest Colorado lawmaker Robert E. DeNier died Wednesday. He was 88.
DeNier, a Republican, served three terms in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1977 to 1982 and one term in the Colorado Senate from 1987 to 1990, according to The Durango Herald. For eight years, DeNier was on the powerful Joint Budget Committee – two years as chairman and three as vice-chairman. DeNier also served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee from 1979 to 1982, and of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee from 1988 to 1990.
Arthur “Wayne” Denny of Cortez lived 101 years. He needed every single one to accomplish all he did.
During his life, he was a college track star, a World War II veteran, a county assessor, a state senator, a dedicated bowler and a dad who played pranks on his kids by putting rocks in their sleeping bags.
“He was something else,” said stepdaughter Arlene Allen, who was Denny’s caretaker in his later years.
State senators paid tribute to their former colleague Monday morning while Denny’s wife, Viola, and 15 friends and family members watched, The Durango Herald reports.
Decorated World War II hero and hall-of-fame athlete and coach Walter “Bus” Bergman of Grand Junction died Sunday. He was 89 years old. He is the father of U.S. Senate candidate and former lieutenant governor Jane Norton of Denver. He also is survived by another daughter, Judy Black of Alexandria, Va., and a son, Walt Bergman Jr. of Grand Junction. Funeral arrangements are pending, according to The Denver Post.
Legend has it more deals were made and legislative disputes solved in the Congress Lounge than in the state Capitol across the street. True or not, the lounge, owned for 45 years by Nick Frangos, was full of legislators, lobbyists and East Colfax regulars. Frangos died Sunday, The Denver Post reports.
STATE BILL COLORADO
Yale Huffman, 93, died Oct. 27 of chronic heart/lung failure. Huffman, a one-time traveling salesman who served a term in the Colorado House and later went to the University of Denver Law School, suffered from macular degeneration, a disease that destroys sight-sensing cells in the retina, causing debilitating loss of central or detail vision. His affliction, as well as his life’s story, made him the subject of a lengthy profile in DU’s law magazine.
“The way to have a happy old age,” Huffman told writer Chelsey Baker-Hauck, “is to prepare for it in mid life. Get a job or avocation — something to give you purpose after 65.”
For Huffman, that avocation was writing, Baker-Hauck wrote. He published more than 20 magazine articles about travel and public affairs; his last was at the beginning of this decade. In 2005, at the time the article was published, Huffman wrote poetry using a computer program that displayed type on screen in large format and read the text aloud as he typed.
Huffman’s wife of 68 years, Jane, died in 2004. He is survived by daughter Martha, son John, and ten grandchildren and great grandchildren. A memorial service is Wednesday, according to his obituary at Legacy.com.
