Dorothy Tweedell

Dorothy D. Tweedell

Dorothy Dennis Tweedell died on July 1, 2022 at the Lutheran Hospice in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She was born on Jan. 7, 1923 in Augusta, Illinois to Oren and Marian Dennis.  She had diphtheria as a child and was quarantined for a short time.  She graduated from Augusta High School in 1940.  She married Robert K. Tweedell in August, 1946.  They moved to Vanport, Oregon where Bob attended Portland State College.  They lost almost all their belongings in the Vanport flood in May, 1948, saving only a rented sewing machine and a few other items. They moved to Eugene, Oregon in September of 1948 where Bob attended the University of Oregon.

Dorothy and Bob moved to Denver in January, 1950, where Bob went to work at the Denver Post.  In 1951 they bought their first car, a green Chevrolet.  They bought their first house in 1952 on Xavier St. in west Denver.  Dorothy and Bob later divorced.

They moved to Arvada in March, 1962. All of her children graduated from Arvada West High School and the University of Colorado.

Dorothy was always politically and socially active.  She was involved with protests at Rocky Flats, the civil rights movement, the homeless, and abused women.  One of her prized possessions was a letter she received from the late congressman John Lewis commending her for her work in the civil rights movement.

Dorothy traveled to Montgomery, Alabama for dedication of a civil rights museum in 2005. In 1989 she traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a march for the homeless.  She volunteered at the Catholic Worker soup kitchen in downtown Denver from 1978-2000 and made many friends there.  She also volunteered at Project Angel Heart.

Dorothy was a great lover of jazz and attended many of the Gibson jazz festivals in Denver.  She traveled to New Orleans several times to attend the Jazz and Heritage Festival.  Her favorite jazz club in Denver was Dazzle. She frequently went to the El Chapultepec jazz club when it was still in operation.

Dorothy was an outgoing, gregarious person who had many friends. She appreciated the importance of friends in her life.  She was a friend to anyone who needed one.

Dorothy is survived by:  daughter Meri, son Robert (Bob) and his wife Susan, daughter Beth and her husband Michael, son Richard; grandchildren Erik, Grant, Conor, Casey, Arlen, Megan, and Shea; and great grandchildren Callia, Jonah, Rhais, Taylor, Ashley; and her dear friend Lila Gracey.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her older brother Paul.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to a charity of your choice.

A celebration of Dorothy Tweedell's Life

Saturday, October 08, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.

Jefferson Unitarian Church

14350 W. 32nd Avenue (West of Youngfield on the south side of street)

You are invited to wear purple-Dorothy's favorite Color.