William Alan Neuwirth

BILL NEUWIRTH February 20, 1931 to July 21, 2011 Bill Neuwirth, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend departed his earthly body to pass into eternal life on July 21, 2011 at the age of 80. He was surrounded by his loving wife, Lois, their five children and two granddaughters, Katie and Amy. The pain of his transition was eased by the great love present and two of Bill's favorites: Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald singing in the background. He was a huge music lover and that was only one of many gifts he passed on to his family. Bill leaves behind a large and very close family. Lois, his wife of almost 60 years were high school sweethearts. were married 60 years. His surviving family includes: Lyn Wazny and her three children, Phil and wife Jane, great-granddaughters, Anna and Julia, daughters Jenna and Katie Lori Ratliff and her children Jacob and Amy Bill Neuwirth Tom and wife Kathleen Neuwirth and their four children; Jesse, Caroline, Jonas Bourland and wife Tana and their children Cole and Kira; Ben and Emily Bourland and their son Graham. Marianne Neuwirth Bill's two siblings, Eugene, and Mary and her husband, Doug Hennessy Many nieces and nephews who had great affection for him He was preceded in death by his parents, Anthony and Catherine. Bill was born on February 20, 1931 in Teaneck, New Jersey and met the love of his life, Lois, when they were both 13 years old. During their years at Holy Trinity High School they were known as Bill and Shorty-- Bill a foot taller than five-foot Lois. They were married in 1951 and Bill served in the Air Force during the Korean War relocating to Denver and stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. They soon started their brood with daughters Lyn and Lori. The growing family later moved to Broomfield where they welcomed siblings Bill, Tom and Marianne. Advertising was in Bill's blood. As a young man he worked at Compton Advertising and J. Walter Thompson in New York City, and upon moving to Denver Bill worked for The Denver Post. He then went on to join a Denver agency for a period of time before starting his own ad agency, Neuwirth-Koller, with partner, Bill Koller. Their partnership lasted 30 years, creating numerous advertising, public relations and marketing campaigns for more than 600 clients. Some included Lakeside Amusement Park, Miller Western Wear, Ski-Doo, and the Phil Long Auto Dealerships. Bill was especially proud of the prestigious Alfie awards the agency won from the Denver Ad Club for the marketing campaign they created for The Denver Zoo. The clever campaign capitalized on the big Broadway hit at the time, ""A Chorus Line,"" and featured a colorful chorus line of animals with the theme, ""Let Us Entertain You."" The family enjoyed the many perks from Bill's clients: free admission to Lakeside, free snowmobiles every winter, the best Western Slope peaches every summer, and free circus and Harlem Globetrotter tickets. One of the fondest memories of Bill's children was the yearly summer and winter trips to the beautiful camp at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. There were cabins ranging from near luxury to one rustic one called ironically, ""Dream. ""The cabin was perched on the side of the mountain with sloping floors. The family ended up having a contest and awarded a trophy to the person who could remember the names all of the cabins. They were times of great fun. Bill and Lois instilled in their five children a great appreciation for nature and for music, a wonderment of God and were moral compasses for living a principled life. Bill was widely known, respected and well-liked by the Denver advertising community and all who worked with him. He was affectionately known as the ad guy who ""wore a white hat."" Bill was the kind of guy who had that ease which made you feel like you were old friends. He was a proud, honest, warm, talented (and stubborn!) man with a wonderful sense of humor and wit, utterly generous and always fair, hard-working and loyal. Daughter Lyn was honored to work with her dad from 1994-1996 until the agency closed and Bill retired. Even after retirement Bill kept his finger on the advertising pulse by reading Ad Age regularly, keeping up with old friends in the business and enjoying his Metro Denver Dinosaurs luncheons, schmoozing with veterans from agencies, media and broadcasting. He also was a long-time member of the Broomfield Rotary Club where, even at the end of his life, he would drive weekly more than 60 miles to be with the group he belonged to for a very long time, even after moving to Littleton. It was also a chance to return to Broomfield where the family lived for many years. A favorite past time for Bill was also taking a trip to Black Hawk to try his luck and he usually won. Bill was the kind of guy you'd like to be your father. He loved his family with all his heart, providing advice and guidance, wisdom and direction and always support. One of his favorite expressions was ""don't give up the ship."" He was truly the patriarch of the original and extended clan. His generosity seemed to know no bounds, especially to his family. But he also frequently showed small acts of kindness to others, like tipping the kid at the grocery store who took his groceries out to his car or sharing an ice cream bar from the package he had just bought with the checkout clerk. Bill and Lois raised five great kids putting them all through college, including Lois who received her Master's in Scripture. The couple were devout Catholics and put all five children through Catholic school. In later life Bill devoted himself to taking care of Lois, who has been ill for quite some time. It was clear the two of them truly loved each other and their devotion was a testament to their deep commitment and faith. Bill, Dad, Pop-Pop, Uncle Bill was quite ill himself at the end of his life. And although those who loved him so much will miss him terribly, we all know he was immediately taken into God's arms. His was truly a life well-lived. Bill was a loving husband, fantastic father, a wonderful brother and grandfather, friend, and a mentor to many. A decent and kind man, Bill will be missed. Bill will be resting at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge. Please go to the main office for a map to his grave. Instead of flowers please make a donation in Bill's name to Project Angel Heart.