By Steve Mark & Shana Goldberg
One couple. Two deaths. Two years apart. Same location. Same lethal danger. Same bafflement over municipal authorities.
Gerald “Gerry” Goldberg, a Denver native who knew so many in the Denver community, was killed in a car accident on March 2, 2026, in the very same, dangerous traffic intersection as his wife was, two years earlier.
Mr. Goldberg, a US Army veteran, was 82.
He was born May 26, 1943 to Josephine and Louis Goldberg. He grew up on both the West and later East Side and was part of George Washington’s first graduating class in 1961. He attended DU Business School and served as an Army medic during the Vietnam War. Mr. Goldberg worked with his father at the family’s signage business.
In 1983, Mr. Goldberg met his future wife, Andreia Lea Goldberg, at the Denver Athletic Club. The couple were married until her death in 2024 at age 59.
Mrs. Goldberg was killed on May 30, 2024, at the intersection of South Franklin St. and East Belleview Ave. while out on her morning run.
A little under two years later, on March 2, Mr. Goldberg was killed in a two-vehicle accident at the same intersection — an intersection for which Mr. Goldberg had spent the past two years advocating for an installation of a traffic light.
The intersection borders Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village.
The driver of the other car did not suffer injuries. Cherry Hills Police Chief Jason Lyons did not release driver’s name, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Chris Cramer, city manager of Cherry Hills Village, responded to an IJN request for comment. Officials at Greenwood Village did not respond to the same request.
Cramer said:
“Any loss of life in our community is heartbreaking, and we recognize the profound impact this incident has had on loved ones and neighbors. Our thoughts are with everyone grieving during this difficult time.
“After hearing concerns from residents about the safety of that intersection, the City Council was planning to discuss conducting an updated traffic signal warrant study at the March 17 City Council meeting. However, in light of the recent accident, City Council has directed staff to expedite that effort to evaluate whether current conditions meet the minimum standards required by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) prior to the installation of any traffic signal on a state highway.
“In addition, City Council has directed staff to coordinate with Greenwood Village staff to review the situation collaboratively and identify possible next steps. The city remains committed to carefully evaluating all available data and working with regional partners to promote the safety and well-being of our community.”
Mr. Goldberg’s sister, Sandra Svoboda, has long been concerned about the dangerous intersection her brother often had to navigate.
“Ironically,” Svoboda said, “there’s something, some way, trying to tell me why they both met the same fate. It could happen once, but twice in that same family, one walking and one driving, I find that very bizarre.
“And I don’t know how to equate that.”
Said Mr. Goldberg’s nephew, Aaron Svoboda: “Gerry and Andreia were both very aware of the dangers of that intersection. It was a constant point of conversation. Gerry always told me about crossing that street and how careful they needed to be when doing that.
“Despite all of that vigilance, not once, but twice. It defies reason.”
Mr. Goldberg’s cousin, Gloria Ginsberg, was scheduled to meet Gerry for lunch on the day he was killed.
“He was always pretty prompt,” Ginsberg said. “After about 10 minutes, I looked at my phone, with no text or anything from him. That was kind of strange. I left and went home, and I had a really bad feeling.”
Ginsberg was then notified that Mr. Goldberg was killed in a car accident at 11:52 a.m., less than 10 minutes before his scheduled lunch appointment.
“This is difficult to digest,” Ginsberg told the IJN. “This a terrible, terrible price to pay for something like this, but you would imagine or hope that the people in the city government at Cherry Hills, at Greenwood Village, see this, hear this, and wake up and go, ‘snap.’
“But it’s too late. This is such a shame. He was a real mensch.”
One week after the crash, a makeshift memorial continues to grow on the corner of South Franklin St. and East Belleview Ave., underneath the street sign that says, “Entering Cherry Hills Village.”
A large, mounted photograph of Gerry and Andreia Goldberg is surrounded by an assortment of flower arrangements. A utility electrical box, damaged by the crash, has been duct-taped together.
As the IJN visited the site, a steady stream of traffic filled all four lanes of East Belleview Ave. Almost on cue, a westbound driver turned left onto South Franklin St., darting in front of a Cherry Creek School District bus, also attempting to turn onto South Franklin St.
The bus driver unleashed a long honk from the car horn, an audible admonishment to the aggressive driver.
The lengthy honk could have very well been a statement, too; a reminder that, should the danger of this intersection not be remedied soon, more tragedy could be in the offing.
Funeral services for Gerry Goldberg were held March 6 at the HEA, officiated by Rabbi Sarah Shulman, Eitan Kantor and Rabbi Yaakov Meyer. Interment was at Rose Hill Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
At the funeral, Mr. Goldberg was remembered by family and lifelong friends as a car aficionado, antique car appraiser, a cyclist, a devoted husband and uncle, and as a person with whom one could converse on any topic, from politics to sports.
“He was my best friend,” said Randy Murphy, who met Mr. Goldberg on their first day of basic training. “But he was also your best friend and your best friend,” he said to the other eulogists.
Aaron Svoboda told the IJN:
“He just had this town down pat. He knew someone, wherever we went.
“We had regular lunches and more times than not, he ran into someone he knew.”
Mr. Goldberg was predeceased by his wife, Andreia, and a brother, Marvin. He is survived by sister Sandra Svoboda and sister-in-law Hanna Goldberg, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Contributions may be made to Morris Animal Foundation or JFS of Colorado.
© IJN 2026
