Thomas Joseph Kerwin

Thomas J. Kerwin loved a debate whether he was tangling with an opponent in court, protesting conservative Catholic Church leaders or leading current events discussions among his eight children at the dinner table of their historic Denver home. Kerwin died on November 14. He had fallen outside his home a month earlier and suffered a brain injury that aggravated previous health problems. Kerwin was 78. In the months before his death, Kerwin was able to visit with each of his children and 19 grandchildren and indulge his love of politics by keeping close track of the historic 2008 elections. Born September 11, 1930 in Oak Park, Illinois, Kerwin soon discovered he had a western soul. As a child, Kerwin and his large family vacationed at a dude ranch in Montana. He later passed through Colorado on the train en route to college in California at Santa Clara University. His love for the natural beauty, history, art and literature of the West and Southwest sustained him all his life. He never stopped buying and sharing books about the West and loved giving newcomers tips about the best historic hideaways and scenic vistas. During summers in college, Kerwin scored a job guiding train travelers on tours throughout the West. Among the places he escorted visitors was Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, where he perfected his talent for driving mountain passes and pointing out scenery without watching the road. Years later, this skill would unnerve many relatives during visits to Colorado. As a young tour guide, Kerwin also escorted travelers to Cranmer Park in east Denver, where they could admire sweeping views of the Front Range from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak. Along with the vista, Kerwin admired the Cranmer home on the east side of the park and dreamed of someday living in the area. George Cranmer, the founder of Denver's park system, had built a Mediterranean masterpiece in 1917, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. After Santa Clara, Kerwin attended law school at Loyola University in Chicago. He graduated in 1954, the same year he married Mary Ann Collins. They moved to Denver in 1960 and five years later had the opportunity to buy the Cranmer home where Kerwin had once brought tourists. The Kerwins lived there for 30 years, filling the large home with their big family. ""I see him as a trailblazer, plunging into every-thing,'' Mary Ann Kerwin said. ""He empowered me. He pushed my outer limits. When I might have been fearful, he gave me the strength to push myself."" Tom Kerwin encouraged his wife when she helped found the international breastfeeding advocacy group, La Leche League International, in 1956. She later pursued a legal career of her own at age 50. Tom Kerwin practiced law in Denver, with many clients in Aspen. He loved traveling anywhere for work or pleasure. He always made time to visit national parks or historic homes and would detour hundreds of miles to see a historic landmark. Among his favorite sites was Monticello in Virginia, where he reveled in Thomas Jefferson's quirky architectural schemes and celebrated Jefferson's ideals. During summers, when Kerwin's children were young, he loved camping along 4-wheel drive roads near Colorado ghost towns. ""It was always a frontier experience,"" recalled one of his three daughters, Anne Kerwin, of Denver. ""Instead of a covered wagon, we had a pop-up tent on top of a 1968 Jeep Wagoneer. It was often cold in the mornings, but there were always lots of books that Dad would read to us while we huddled in sleeping bags. Dad's specialty dinner was a can of hash cooked in an old iron pan."" Kerwin also ventured with the entire family on RV trips throughout the West to see national parks. At night, Kerwin escaped the chaos by tossing his sleeping bag on top of the Winnebago. He also drove the entire family to Florida in 1973 to witness the Skylab launch. His younger brother, Dr. Joseph Kerwin, was one of the astronauts on board. Kerwin loved swimming, gardening, tree-planting and theater. For decades, he was part of Denver's Empire Lyric Players, a Gilbert & Sullivan troupe. A few years ago, he played Clarence the angel in a community theater production of ""It's a Wonderful Life."" Clarence saves the main character, George, when he jumps from a bridge and shows George how much his life has meant to everyone in their community. ""I thought that was consistent with his upbeat view of the world,"" said Greg Kerwin, a Denver lawyer and one of Kerwin's 5 sons. ""He had endless curiosity about places and people and he was always open to new ideas."" Since his retirement from law, Kerwin spent con-siderable time advocating for modernization of the Catholic Church. He was a member of the national reform group, Call to Action, and helped found a Denver group called Catholics for the Spirit of Vatican II. ""He was a big admirer of St. Thomas More, who got his head chopped off for challenging authority,"" Greg Kerwin said. ""I think that's really what made him tick. He liked helping ordinary people express nontraditional views and had a strong sense of what it means to be the loyal opposition."" Kerwin took the same approach with politics. He was born into a conservative family. In law school, he became close to a black classmate who opened his mind to different perspectives. Kerwin became a consistent progressive voter and a connoisseur of political news. His idea of a perfect afternoon was sitting in a sun-splashed chair reading several newspapers and news magazines with about five different books open around him. Kerwin rebounded temporarily in early November to savor Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race. Along with politics, Kerwin loved trees. ""If you want to honor him, plant a tree or, better yet, plant a thousand trees,"" Greg Kerwin said. ""He would plant trees everywhere he went, including sneaking a few into Cranmer Park.'' A memorial service for Tom Kerwin will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 27 at the Church of the Risen Christ, 3060 S. Monaco Pkwy. in Denver. Kerwin was one of 8 children. Survivors include his wife Mary Ann Kerwin, along with five siblings and their spouses: Mary White of River Forest, Ill., Mike and Ann Kerwin of Detroit, Mich., Kay and Ralph Ryan of Marco Island, Fla., Joe and Lee Kerwin of College Station, Tex.; Paul and Jean Kerwin of Morehead City, N.C. He is also survived by his eight children and their spouses: Thomas M.J. and Mary Kerwin of Denver, Ed and Karen Kerwin of Ashland, Ore., Greg and Donna Kerwin of Denver, Mary and Dan Wilkerson of Denver, Anne Kerwin of Denver, Katie and Cyrus McCrimmon of Denver, John and Lisa Kerwin of San Diego, Mike and Julie Kerwin of Golden. Kerwin's ninth child, Joseph, preceded him in death. He was 5-weeks-old in 1959 when he died of SIDS. Kerwin also had 19 grand-children. Contributions: La Leche League International, donate online at www.llli.org or mail to: La Leche League International, Attn: Development Department, 957 N. Plum Grove Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173.