Gweneth R Den Dooven

Gweneth Marilyn Reed Den Dooven, passed away in her home in Greenwood Village, Colorado as peacefully as could be hoped for Friday, May 4th, 2018. She was satisfied to reach the age of 84, as 83 just struck her as being a less propitious number. She would have liked that word, propitious, having been a lover of words, poetry and all things literary, reaching a professional peak mid-life as an editor and publisher, with books listed in the Library of Congress, no less!

Born in Broken Bow, Nebraska in November of 1933, Gwen was the youngest of seven children. Her mother, Julia Huff, was very beloved by her, and a constant touch-stone throughout her life. She loved and respected her father, Francis Reed, though he frequently tried her rebellious spirit with his unbridled passion for oratory. With the exception of her sister Marian, who is the last woman standing, she was preceded in life and in death by her sisters and brothers, Elizabeth (Betty) Swick, Walter, Robert, Rodney, and Dorothy Mayo. The family shared all the trials and tribulations of life in rural small-town Nebraska; growing up through lean, but happy times in the two-room “little brown house”, the accident which crippled their father, the great depression, and the war to end all wars, during which Walter was shot down over Germany and the 7 became 6.

Gwen loved her childhood in Broken Bow, believing it to be the sum and substance from which she was formed. There she first fell in love with the town library, movies (esp. ones with Audie Murphy), Mrs. Kindness’ sweet shop, and music. She loved blues and jazz especially, (later treasuring a guitar pick handed to her personally by B.B. King!). She thrived in school, always an A student. In high school she marched as 1st clarinetist in the high school band and graduated as valedictorian for the class of ’51. She fell in love with and married her high school sweetheart, Robert Jacobsen at the age of 20. His job with the Forest Service led her away from Broken Bow, and her dearly loved mother, to Utah, where she gave birth to her daughters, Jocelyn and Leslie, a few years later. Eventually Gwen moved to Cedar City, Utah, becoming active in the choir for the Presbyterian Church, as well as their organist. She also took a job at the Media Center there and was quickly snapped up by the southern Utah Park Service Headquarters as secretary to the superintendent. As young marriages often prove unsuccessful, so hers proved to be with Bob, and she was divorced after 17 years of marriage.

Beautiful, smart, and generous, and inheriting a lively spirit from her mother, Gwen was not destined to be single for long. While working for the Park Service she met and married K.C. Den Dooven, who had newly begun a publishing company located in Las Vegas for books about our amazing national parks. Having a novelist’s bent for storytelling, and a life-long innate talent for editing, she was a natural for the business, and it wasn’t long before the “Story Behind the Scenery” park series began to not only grow, but thrive. The two worked closely together, traveling often to some of the most beautiful areas of the country. However, after 8 years, the marriage unraveled. What followed were years where her mettle was severely tested, during which she demonstrated a remarkable strength of will and intelligence and proved herself a shining example of what women of spunk can accomplish when faced with adversity! Done with marriage, she found an inner strength which brought her striding confidently into the world around her. Gwen soon became actively involved in the Las Vegas Symphony Guild, the Las Vegas Mesquite Club, the Soroptimists Club, and the theater, providing aid to a few aspiring artists, and some lost souls. Also on her program: a solo foray through Europe and zip-lining through the tree tops in California at 55!

After 40 years in Las Vegas, Gwen decided to make the move to Denver to be closer to her family (though the grandkids would certainly miss what would prove to become their favorite memories: trips to Nana’s house…IN LAS VEGAAAAS!). Not long after making the move, it was discovered that she had developed breast cancer. It was successfully operated on and soon in remission. Five years later, a brain tumor was found, this time a gamma knife procedure was the cure. Then came March, 2017 when soon after attending the funeral of her oldest sister Betty in Oregon, she developed AFIB, and was hospitalized for nearly 2 weeks after complications arose. She was on the road to management of her AFIB when they found a spot on her pancreas in late May. A rare procedure called nano-knife surgery was performed in December. By mid-March, the hoped-for outcome was not forthcoming -- the cancer had spread to her abdomen. With characteristic aplomb Gwen declared, “I guess I’d better stop trying to fool Mother Nature,” and gracefully accepted the inevitable. She was lovingly cared for at home until her final breath on May 4th.

Gwen is survived by her sister, Marian Woodward, her daughters and their husbands, Jocelyn and Michael Dees, Leslie and Paul Feldman, and her grand children, Joshua Dees and his wife Amanda, Marilyn Dees, and Nicholas Feldman. Also surviving her are many dearly loved nieces and nephews from far and wide. Last, but not least there is Smitty, her companion cat who faithfully watched over her and cheered her to the end.

When asked what her favorite memory was, Gwen said it was when, after leaving from a visit, her mother told her, “Gweneth, when you leave, you leave an awful big hole behind.” Truer words were never spoken.

At Gwen’s request, there will not be a service. The immediate family will gather for the internment of her ashes at the Fairmount Cemetery in Denver on Friday, May 25, 2018 at 10:30 AM. If you would like to leave condolences, or share memories of a life well lived, we would love to see them! Donations to the American Cancer Society, ASPCA, or Children’s International would be appreciated in lieu of flowers.