William Joseph Shoemaker

William Joseph Shoemaker, ""Joe"", passed away on his 88th birthday at home in the company of his loving wife Karen, and his family. Joe was born in Hawarden, IA in 1924, attended Iowa State University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of '48A', and the University of Iowa Law School graduating in 1956. He moved to Denver and accepted a position of associate lawyer with the firm of Holland and Hart. He served as Chief of Staff for former Denver Mayor Batterton, Manager of Public Works for the City of Denver and served in the Colorado Legislature as a State Senator from 1962 to 1976 including several terms as Chairman of the Joint Budget Committee. He founded the Greenway Foundation which revitalized the South Platte River and founded the Foundation for Colorado State Parks. He also started and directed the Colorado County Officials and Employees Retirement Association (CCOERA) for many years. He practiced law for 40 years with his dear friend and partner, Robert S. Wham and later was joined in that practice by his son J. Jay Shoemaker. He was preceded in death by his wife Penny, and is survived by his loving wife of four years, Karen Ozias Shoemaker. He is also survived by his four children, Jean Watson-Weidner, her spouse Thomas R. Weidner; William Jeffrey Shoemaker, his spouse, Nancy Birge; Joseph Jay Shoemaker, his wife, Cheryl Shoemaker; and James Dykstra Shoemaker, and his wife, Cindy Shoemaker. His grandchildren are Dr. Elizabeth Duggan and her spouse, Dr. Michael Duggan of Lansdowne, PA; Christopher Watson and his wife Casey Luker of Longmont Colorado; Courtney Shoemaker, Caley Shoemaker, Lindsey Shoemaker, Camille Shoemaker, Savanna Shoemaker, Madison Shoemaker and Dylan Shoemaker all of Colorado. His great-grandchildren are Riley Duggan and Esther Shoemaker. Services will be held at Confluence Park at 10:00 a.m. on August 28, 2012. In lieu of flowers, the family will gratefully accept donations to the Colorado State Parks Foundation at www.thefcsp.org and the Greenway Foundation at www.greenwayfoundation.org.