Frances Wolpo
Longtime member of Hadassah Frances Wolpo died on April 4, 2022 at the age of 96.
A service was held on April 10 at HEA and burial at Mt. Nebo Cemetery, officiated by Rabbi Bruce Dollin. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
Mrs. Wolpo was born on Feb. 7, 1926 in Chicago, Ill. She married Abraham Wolpo, a native of Israel, in 1956, and they remained a couple until Mr. Wolpo’s passing in 2001.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolpo met at a dance sponsored by the US Army. They continued to be accomplished ballroom dancers throughout their life together.
Mrs. Wolpo might be best remembered for her volunteer work with Hadassah. She traveled to Israel several times for the organization, and at one time met Golda Meir. Mrs. Wolpo worked the phones for Hadassah well into her 80s.
Survivors include children Esther Yenkinson, Robert Wolpo and Debra Hoffheimer; and nine grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to Hadassah.
Elizabeth Shwayder
Longtime champion of Denver arts Elizabeth Shwayder died on March 25, 2022 at the age of 99. A private service was held March 28 at Mt. Nebo Cemetery, with a celebration of life to be conducted at a later date. Arrangements were made by Feldman Mortuary.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Mrs. Shwayder was born on July 26, 2022. Upon moving to Denver in the late 1940s, she immersed herself in art classes and teaching, and helped create the Community Art Gallery, Denver’s first nonprofit gallery. Many of her sculptures were in exhibitions in the US, England and Italy.
Mrs. Shwayder’s final show was “Welded and Fabricated Poetry: The Artistic Life of Elizabeth Yanish Shwayder,” at the Kirkland Museum, a 50-year retrospective.
She was heavily involved in the Greater Denver Council on the Arts and Humanities, the Denver chapter of Artists Equity and the Visual Arts Committee for the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission. Mrs. Shwayder also established Coats for Colorado.
“She was always wired to do good things in the world,” said her daughter, Mindy Yanish. “Always for Thanksgiving,” Yanish remembered, “she would always invite a soldier to our dinner. She always invited somebody who had nobody to be with.
“And, as a teacher, even in the final months of her life, when her dexterity and strength were failing she was teaching other elders how to make art!
“She was a powerful role model.”
Mrs. Shwayder was preceded in death by her husbands, Nathan Yanish and Monty Shwayder.
Survivors are children Mindy (Rina) Yanish, Marilyn (Jerry) Ginsburg and Ronald (Sharon) Yanish; and five grandchildren.
Contributions may be made to the UN High Commission on Refugees.
Dorothy Davidson
Civil rights activist Dorothy Davidson passed away April 26, 2022. She was 92. A private service was held at Mt. Nebo Cemetery, officiated by Cantor Marty Goldstein. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
Mrs. Davidson was the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and director of the ACLU Mountain States Region. She devoted herself to defending human rights. Her family said, “she was particularly proud of the book she wrote, Children in Confinement, exposing the harsh treatment of juveniles in detention.”
A native of Hungary, Mrs. Davidson (née Davidovich) had extended family that remained in Europe who were murdered during the Holocaust.
“That motivated her lifelong fight for civil rights and the protections of minorities and her unwavering support for the State of Israel,” her family said.
Mrs. Davidson was the daughter of the late Rabbi Chaim and Rose Davidovich. When she was a child, her family emigrated from Hungary to Buffalo, New York, and later to Denver. She attended North High School and attended DU, UC Denver and Smith College.
Survivors are Mrs. Davidson’s husband, Charles Carter; children Paul Davidson, Linda (Yaacov) Hamo, Robert (Denise Alcala) Davidson, Michael (Vicki) Davidson, Daniel Davidson, Julia (Jeffrey) Cirbo, Robert (Stacie) Carter; and seven grandchildren.
The family suggests contributions to the charity of choice, preferably in support of Holocaust survivors, Zionism, education, poverty relief, civil liberties and civil rights.
Richard Barkley
Longtime Denver lawyer Richard Barkley passed away March 30, 2022, at the age of 68. A service was held at Golden Hill Cemetery on April 6, officiated by Rabbi Amanda Schwartz. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
Mr. Barkley was born on April 5, 1953 in Fort Wayne, Ind. He grew up in Canon City, Colo., and attended CU law school, where he graduated first in his class in 1987.
In 1982 Richard and Sara Barkley were married; they were a couple until Mr. Barkley’s passing.
“We shall all remember Richard as a passionate bibliophile who valued the grace and power of words,” his family said. “A great appreciator of the aesthetics, he filled his life with books and art and beauty.
“His quick wit and humor were ever sources of amusement.
“A gifted attorney and formidable litigator, Richard formed many professional friendships and was highly respected and admired by his peers.
“More than all of these, Richard was a good man.”
Survivors include Mr. Barkley’s wife Sara; and children Joel (Ilena) Barkley and Rachael Barkley.
Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Marvin Strait
Marvin “Marv” Strait died April 27, 2022 in Colorado Springs. He was 89. A service was held May 1 at Temple Shalom with interment at B’nai Jacob Cemetery in Pueblo. Rabbi Jay Sherwood officiated. Swan Lake made the arrangements.
Mr. Strait was born in Pueblo on December 22, 1933 to Harry and Rose Strait.
While in middle school, he met his sweetheart and lifelong partner, Shirley, whom he married. The two were married for 62 years until Mrs. Strait’s passing in 2017.
Mr. Strait attended Arizona State University and graduated with a BS in accounting. He established his first accounting practice in Lamar, Colo. The family later moved to Colorado Springs.
Mr. Strait was respected in his field, serving as a board member of various professional bodies. He also donated his time to civic organizations, including serving as board chair of St. Francis Hospital.
Among the awards he received was the Center for Christian-Jewish Dialogue’s Dove of Peace award.
Mr. Strait is survived by children Debbie (Stephen Gonzales), Denise and Michael; and four grandsons, Nate, Jacob, Alex and Sam.
Contributions may be made to Early Connections or Peak Education, both in Colorado Springs.
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