Leslie Fishbein, 55, the vibrant president of Kacey Fine Furniture, whose cheery face was so familiar to Denverites through her TV commercials, passed away Wednesday. I never had the opportunity to meet her, but like a lot of news followers, I read every story about her since she went into cardiac arrest on March 4 after receiving a shot at her doctor’s office. What struck me most was how everyone interviewed described her as so energetic and so much fun to be around. They all had favorite memories which were so rich in detail I was left with a vivid picture in my mind of an event I never attended and of people I never knew. I suspect that’s no small feat and is reflective of Mrs. Fishbein’s uniqueness. Here’s an example from Diane Greenlee, describing her and her husband Bob’s 25th wedding anniversary party near Durango back in 1990:

It rained, forcing everyone to don garbage bags. “My fondest memory of Leslie was back at the hotel in Telluride, leading us through the raisin dance to Heard It Through the Grapevine, while we were all wearing black, plastic garbage bags,” she said.

A funeral will be held Friday at 3:00 pm at Congregation Emanuel at 51 Grape St. in Denver.