Julian Gelfand
Longtime Denver resident Julian Gelfand passed away on June 26, 2026, at the age of 74. A service was held on July 2 at Emanuel Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and born on June 8, 1952, Mr. Gelfand developed love of the Yiddish language at the I. L. Peretz School. Following high school, Mr. Gelfand earned a bachelor’s degree in archeology from the University of Calgary.
After those studies, Mr. Gelfand began a 40-year career in the North American oil and gas industry, identifying rock samples at exploration well sites in Canada’s high-Arctic.
Mr. Gelfand moved to Denver in the early 1990s. He met Barbary Eddy. The two were volunteers at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Mr. and Mrs. Gelfand were married for more than 30 years until Mr. Gelfand’s passing.
“Julian was kind, compassionate and quick to laugh,” his family said. “He went out of his way to help those in need and donated to many worthy charities.
Survivors are Mr. Gelfand’s wife Barbara Eddy; brothers Shael (Lee Anne), Jan (Cecilia), Stephen and Jeff (Anne Marie); nieces Hilary, Hayley, Luciana and Naomi; and nephew Luis Roberta.
Contributions may be made to Humane Colorado.
Joel Saslaw
Joel David Saslaw died on August 1, 2026. He was 38. A service was held on August 9 at Golden Hill Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary handled the arrangements.
Born on October 13, 1987, in Bakersfield, Calif., Mr. Saslaw earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Sacramento State in 2010, and a master’s in higher education at the University of the Pacific in 2013.
A former member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Mr. Saslaw mentored young university men through SigEp’s Building Balanced Men program. He became property manager for the University of Kentucky, then property manager for the Illinois, Ohio and Michigan chapters of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
While working for the sorority, Mr. Saslaw was stationed in Denver, which became his home. He was often seen umpiring for the South Suburban Recreation District softball leagues, and worked as a timekeeper for the district’s basketball games.
This last spring, Mr. Saslaw decided to return to his history/education roots, taking a substitute position at Excel Academy in Arvada. In a short time he was offered a full-time position teaching 6th and 7th grade history and social studies. His first day was to have been August 4.
“At the time of his death, he was in his happy place — the Colorado Railroad Museum,” his family said, “having just completed a successful run of the 1899 Rio Grand South Narrow Gauge. He was relaxing with his friends there — fellow volunteers — when he experienced a massive heart attack.”
Survivors are Mr. Saslaw’s father Larry and stepmother Jill Egland; and stepsister Amelia Egland. He is also mourned by his partner, Joshua Kappel.
Contributions may be made to the Colorado Railroad Museum.
© IJN 2026
