Sheila Hyatt

IJN StaffNov 16, 2017Obituaries0

Sheila Hyatt

Sheila Hyatt, a longtime Denver resident and beloved community member, passed away Nov. 8, 2017, in Denver after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Rabbi Bernard Gerson and Cantor Saul Rosenthal officiated at the Nov. 12 service at Rodef Shalom. Interment followed at Emanuel Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.

“Sheila was a loving wife, sister, aunt, mother and grandmother,” the family said.

“A true matriarch, she would feed, host, teach and welcome guests by the dozens — and she did it all with a smile, hug, a visor and detailed spreadsheet.”

Mrs. Hyatt was born March 13, 1950, in St. Louis, Mo.

She graduated University City High School in St. Louis, earned her BS at Miami University of Ohio and her JD at Washington University Law School.

She married Judge Robert S. Hyatt (ret.) on March 17, 1974.

The couple moved from Missouri to Colorado in 1979 after falling in love with the beautiful Rocky Mountains and the Colorado way of life. They loved hiking the mountain trails with their dogs, children and grandchildren.

Mrs. Hyatt was a professor at DU’s Sturm College of Law for 38 years and was a highly regarded expert in matters of Colorado law, including civil procedure and evidence as well as gender and the law, which she introduced to the DU curriculum.

A leader in the faculty, she served one term as assistant dean, mentored many younger colleagues, and was recognized as a Law Star and a Mary Lathrop Trailblazer.

Mrs. Hyatt contributed her time and energy to the entire legal community, including serving on the Colorado Supreme Court Evidence Rules Committee for several years.

Always involved in the Jewish community, she served in a number of community roles throughout the years and most recently sang with the Colorado Hebrew Chorale.

Sheila Hyatt is survived by her husband Robert Hyatt; children Dan (Dr. Mandy) Hyatt and Rabbi Emily (Rabbi Michael) Cohen; grandchildren Hannah and Mason Hyatt and Neil Cohen; brother Stuart (Susan) Krawll and sisters Jan Fishman and Maralin (Adam) Blistein.

Contributions may be made in Sheila’s memory to The Denver Hospice, to whom the family will be eternally grateful for the love and dignity she received while in their care.