Peter Janes Furstenberg

PETER JANES FURSTENBERG, 80, long time Denver businessman andbuilder, returned to the Lord on April 1, 2016. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Lucie Janes Furstenberg and John Bernard Furstenberg. Pete Furstenberg was a builder. He dedicated his life to building his family, his relationships, his faith and even roofs to put over other peoples heads. Which is ironic, since he was almost born without one over his own head. After a tornado swept through his family's hometown in Liberal, Kansas and destroyed their farm and livelihood, Pete's pregnant mother took his two siblings to her hometown in Missouri, while his father traveled to Denver to rebuild their lives. Three months later, Pete was born in St. Louis, and three months after that, his mother packed up her children one more time to meet their father in Colorado. Pete's early years were filled with joy and companionship, two ingredients he carried through the rest of his life. But his mother's passing at 14 years old blew another tornado through the Furstenberg's lives. Finances were tight following her death, and Pete started his first job as a soda jerk in the neighborhood shop to help support his family. With the absence of his mother, and between school and work, Pete's faith began to blossom when he realized that there was something beyond life on earth. His devotion to God and to the Blessed Mother strengthened throughout his life. After graduating from Regis High School in 1953, Pete was able to earn his college education by entering the Marine Corp, where he served for two years. And then he met Dorothy. What started at a Halloween party in 1958 went on to last 56 years. They married in June of 1959 at the St. James Church in her hometown of Decatur, Illinois and returned to Denver, where they began their life together. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Pete graduated from Regis College in 1960. But before building their family, he built his career as a residential developer and started his own business, Havana Builders, in 1962. In 1961, their first daughter, Anne, was born, followed in 1963 and 1965 by Barbara and Mary. Over the course of his life, he designed and built hundreds of custom homes for other families, and never wavered from his commitment to quality and making sure the job was done right the first time. Because of the integrity, fairness, logic and honesty that he demonstrated in other business transactions, Pete was selected in 1972 by Judge Neil Horan to be one of three commissioners to serve on the Denver Tramway Evaluation Commission. Despite being the youngest chosen and having his own business to run, he never compromised his commitment to any of his other responsibilities. As an avocation, for many years Pete worked at the Stanley Mining Company in Idaho Springs. He dreamed of seeing it in operation again one day. Pete never sat still. He shared his love for skiing, golf and tennis with his family, and his faith had a presence in everything he did. From saying a Hail Mary on the lift ride up the mountain to weathering hardships such as his siblings' deaths, he integrated his commitment to the Church into every part of his life. His seat on the building committee for the Archdiocese of Denver extended beyond his retirement, and he also volunteered his time to serve on the finance committees for the Archdiocese, St. Vincent De Paul Parish and Mother of God Parish. In 1991, Katie — his first of eight grandchildren — was born, followed by Sarah, Sonja, Maya, Anya, Matthew, Marie and Aiden. He adored his larger family, and he and Dorothy traveled between both sides of the country to spend as much time as he could with them. Pete brought joy and humor to everything he did, values that reached all the way throughout each of his daughters' own families. He was loved beyond words, and the impact on the lives he touched will extend far beyond his own. Peter is survived by his wife Dorothy, his children Anne (Jonathan) Burke, Barbara (Kiernan) O'Donovan, and Mary (Kevin) Adelgren, brother Frank and sister Mary ""Katie"" Mahoney, eight grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, April 15, 2016 at 6:00 pm, followed by a Recitation of the Rosary at 7:00 pm, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 1091 South Colorado Boulevard, Denver, Colorado, 80246. Please join us to celebrate Pete's life with stories and memories. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 10:00 am, Mother of God Catholic Church, 475 Logan Street, Denver, Colorado, 80203. Rite of Committal will be held Saturday, April 16th at 12:00 pm, Mount Olivet Cemetery, 12801 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, 80033. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Mount St. Vincent's Home for Children, 4159 Lowell Boulevard, Denver, Colorado, 80211, www.msvhome.org. Please tell stories of Peter and express condolences for his family at the guestbook below.