DENVER — A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday to remember Colorado Senator Faith Winter, D-District 25, who died in a multi-car crash on Interstate 25 the day before Thanksgiving.
In the days following, condolences continue to pour in from friends, family and state legislators, including Daneya Esgar who is a former swtate lawmaker.
"I call her one of my best friends at the time, but there's a number of folks who, I think, called her their best friend. That's just who she was," Esgar said.
She said she's hopeful the stories told during the memorial service help Coloradans "really fully understand what a loss this is for the people of Colorado, but specifically what a loss this is for her kids and her family."
Winter played a big role bringing awareness to workplace harassment. She spoke out herself at the peak of the #MeToo movement, leading to the second expulsion in the history of the state legislature.
"We had long conversations with multiple people, all of us, if we were going to move forward and do this," Esgar said. "And it was Faith who led the way and said, 'If we don't speak up now it's not just about me, it's about so many other people that we have to at least have our voices heard.'"
Winter was also a big advocate for paid family leave. When it didn't get through the state legislature, Esgar said Winter pushed to get it on Colorado ballots.
"Now folks literally can take time off to take care of their loved ones in a way that is equitable and fair and meaningful without fear of losing their jobs," Esgar said.
Winter also pushed for transportation funding.
"We know that we have a lack of transportation funding in the state, and Faith worked on that for years. I was a part of the Transportation Committee with her when we first started in the House, and she never stepped back from that she constantly was advocating and pushing for better transit, for better modes of transportation," Esgar said. "And I think that's why it's so tragic that we lost her on I-25."
The memorial service will be on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol. It is open to the public, though Winter's family has asked Coloradans to give them space to grieve.
