Mar 20, 2008 6:05 am US/Mountain
Kacey Fine Furniture Pres.'s Memorial Set For Fri.
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Leslie Fishbein, the president of Kacey Fine Furniture, died Wednesday at noon, her family said in a statement.
"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," the statement said. "We ask, once again, that we be allowed to grieve our loss privately."
Fishbein, 55, was taken to the emergency room at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center March 4 when there was a serious complication after treatment to alleviate back pain at a physician's office. She had been suffering from chronic back pain for about 5 years after an accident involving a horse.
Fishbein had been a presence on Denver television for 25 years as the face of the Kacey Fine Furniture commercials. She also became a major donor to many charities, including The Haven, a facility that helps troubled women put their lives back together. Her company donated furniture to help them get started.
Mayor John Hickenlooper considered Fishbein a surrogate sister.
"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," Hickenlooper said in a prepared statement.
Hickenlooper's Wynkoop Brewery was built in a building that used to house the Kacey Fine Furniture Warehouse.
Fishbein's father, Jack Barton, returned to Denver after WWII and used the GI Bill to start a business that eventually Leslie and her husband, Sam, developed into Kacey Fine Furniture.
There are five Kacey Fine Furniture stores in the Denver area
Doug Seserman is president and CEO of the Allied Jewish Federation. He said Fishbein started the federation's executive circle for women and that she was smart, successful and eager to help other women in business.
"I could tell in my conversations with her, her appetite was just getting wet and she was ready to take off," Seserman said.
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., wrote in a statement that "the Colorado community lost a generous citizen, a devoted woman and a business pioneer. Leslie's work and vibrant personality will have a long-lasting impact on our community."
Fishbein was a Colorado native.
She received several honors for her work in TV, interior design and business.
Additional Resources
Services for Fishbein will be held Friday at 3 p.m. at Temple Emanuel on 1st and Grape in Denver (51 Grape Street). It will be open to the public. Interment is private. For more information about making contributions in Leslie's memory, click the link below.
Leslie Ann Fishbein
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