DENVER — Neil Westergaard, the Colorado Politics columnist who died July 7, will be remembered at a memorial gathering Sept. 26.
Westergaard, who died from complications of heart surgery and kidney failure at age 67, also was a former editor of The Denver Post and the Denver Business Journal during a Colorado newspaper career that spanned decades.
He joined CoPo earlier this year as a columnist focused on Denver politics and civic affairs. He also contributed to The Gazette of Colorado Springs.
Before his illness, Westergaard was named Colorado Newspaper Person of the Year by the Colorado Press Association in April. The Society of Professional Journalists' Colorado Pro Chapter presented him with its Keeper of the Flame Award for lifetime achievement in 2018, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame.
The memorial will be held 5-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Infinity Park Event Center, 4400 E. Kentucky Ave. in Glendale, just east of Colorado Boulevard. The event has been moved from the Denver Press Club for space reasons.
A reception begins at 5 p.m. and the program starts at 6:30, with family, friends and former colleagues sharing memories of Westergaard.
Participants are asked to register for the event via Eventbrite by clicking/tapping here.
Attendees will be invited to make a contribution in Westergaard's name to the Denver Press Club.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Feature stories from 9NEWS