Leslie Fishbein dies
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 03/19/2008 07:06:31 PM MDT
Denver businesswoman Leslie Fishbein , known for her wit, energy and business acumen, died today at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Hospital.
Fishbein was taken to the hospital on March 4 after suffering a severe reaction to an injection for chronic back pain.
The Fishbein family released a statement through the hospital:
"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, daughter and sister, Leslie Fishbein, this Wednesday March 19 at 12 p.m.
"Leslie was a vibrant and loving member of our community as well as our family. Her passing is a profound loss for all of us.
"We ask once again that we be allowed to grieve our loss privately," the family said.
Services for Fishbein will be at 3 p.m Friday at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape St., said Rabbi Steven Foster. The temple is at the intersection of East 1st Avenue and Grape Street.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said that Fishbein's death had taken one of the city's shining lights.
"Leslie Fishbein has been a surrogate sister to me for many years," said Hickenlooper. "While she will deservedly be remembered as a vital force in Denver's business and philanthropic communities, her vibrancy, warmth and humor are what her friends and family will miss most.
"Those of us who knew and loved her were better for it, and the City of Denver was a brighter place with Leslie in it," he said.
Joan Mazak, the president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Colorado, said Fishbein, who chaired the foundation's gala in 2007, was a joy to work with.
"She is an absolute delight. She was energetic, easy to work with, bubbly and perky," said Mazak. "I think when Leslie committed to something, she really committed to it.
"She worked very hard for us," said Mazak, who said Fishbein vowed she'd raise money for the Make-A-Wish children and did exactly that.
"She was really a different type of person. She was going to follow it through," said Mazak.
Fishbein was well-known in the community and appeared frequently in television ads for her company, Kacey Fine Furniture. She was admitted to Presbyterian/St. Luke's Hospital for emergency treatment on March 4. She had been given an injection for chronic back pain and suffered a serious reaction, her friends said. She was later placed on life-support, which was removed March 7.
Fishbein exercised regularly and had been an avid horseback rider until she injured her back in a fall in September 2002. It was that injury which caused her chronic pain and for which she was seeking treatment Tuesday. After the injury, she gave up horses and took up golf with the same fervor.
Charles Goldstein, Fishbein's cousin, said that Fishbein will be remembered for her upbeat personality and zest for life.
"She always had a smile on her face. She was always laughing and having a good time," said Goldstein. "She never sat still and barely slept she had such a thirst for life and people."
He said that as they grew up together, if he ever had a down day and needed to talk, "she'd drop everything" and help him.
Hickenlooper said Fishbein and her father, Jack Barton, were his "unofficial mentors" when as a struggling young businessman he opened the Wynkoop Brewing Co. in downtown Denver more than 20 years ago.
The Wynkoop Brewing Co. went into the building that had been the main warehouse for Kacey Fine Furniture. Jack Barton was his first landlord, said Hickenlooper.
"Jack would come in and point out where we were slipping and falling down and so would Leslie," said the mayor. "Jack had three daughters and Leslie stepped in and took over his business. She was a natural businesswoman - savvy with numbers and a remarkable capacity for marketing and people."
"She had a very, very incisive wit," the mayor added. "She was very colorful, telling stories and anecdotes."
The mayor said he had "been kind of adopted into the (Barton) family" and Leslie was like a sister to him.
U.S. Senator Ken Salazar said that because of Fishbein's death, Colorado lost both a "generous citizen" and a "business pioneer."
"Leslie's work and vibrant personality will have a long-lasting impact on our community," said Salazar. "My thought and prayers are with Leslie's family and friends in this difficult time."
F
ishbein was born and raised in southeast Denver, graduating from George Washington High School and the University of Colorado, where she was admitted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society.
In an interview with Blacktie-Colorado, she said her personal heroes were her father, mother and husband.
Asked what her greatest strengths are, she replied: "I am extremely energetic and I can lift more furniture pound for pound in high heels than most people can imagine!"
She said her most treasured possession was "my husband and my family."
She married Sam Fishbein 31 years ago. They have no children.
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