DENVER — One day after the unexpected death of State Senator Faith Winter, her friends and colleagues throughout Colorado took the time to honor her memory.
"I can't remember exactly when we met, but our districts overlapped when she was in Westminster City Council and I was running for the State House of Representatives," said Lieutenant Governor Diane Primavera. "We spent many hours walking door-to-door, talking to constituents. We always joked as we walked that, you know, she was Faith Winter, and I was Diane Primavera, which means spring."
Lt. Governor Primavera took the time to speak with Denver7 on Thanksgiving Day, about her memories with Senator Winter.
"I had my tennis shoes on, and went through many tennis shoes, and I never could understand how she could wear her signature flip flops and walk precinct after precinct after precinct with me," she said. "That's one of the really happy memories I have with her."
Senator Winter died Wednesday evening in a 5-vehicle crash on I-25 near Dry Creek Road. Several others were injured in the crash.
Denver
'Deeply heartbroken': Colorado State Senator Faith Winter dies in car crash
On Thursday, Denver7 reached out to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office for information regarding the crash. A spokesperson said they don't anticipate more information until potentially next week.
While the signs of the crash on the highway were seemingly gone Thursday, the mark Senator Winter left on those like Kiera Hatton Sena, the policy director for Cobalt Advocates, will always be there.
"Her loss is just devastating for the political community in Colorado, for many of us that were her friends, and for those of us that that thrived under her mentorship," Sena told Denver7. "She is one of the reasons that so many women are in the Colorado General Assembly and are so active in the political realm here in Colorado."
Sena went on to add Sen. Winter was a staunch supporter of reproductive rights, even helping sponsor some of the organization's bills.
"Senator Winter, just from day one, long before she was elected, championed reproductive rights. She made sure that it was a part of the curriculum for 'Emerge Colorado,'" Sena said. "She made sure that we talked about reproductive rights the same way that we talk about economics and economic justice. She engrained it in every bit of her work, because it is so deeply intersectional."
For those like Shad Murib, the chair for the Colorado Democratic Party, there's still shock surrounding Sen. Winter's death.
"We're especially mindful of her family and especially of her children, who are experiencing their first Thanksgiving without their mom today, and I think that's something that's giving all of us pause and cause for reflection," Murib said. "This is a big loss for our state, for our party and for the communities who love Faith."
"She was small but mighty. She was a fierce advocate for justice," Murib went on to say. "She never lost sight of why she was elected and who she was fighting for, and I think that is going to imprint itself on our work for years to come."
Sen. Winter leaves behind two children. She was 45 years old.
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