Leslie Fishbein, face of Kacey Fine Furniture

By John Rebchook, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Photo by The Rocky / 2007

Co-chairs Leslie and Sam Fishbein are pictured Oct. 20 at "Hooray for Hollywood!" for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado. Mrs. Fishbein died March 19.

Leslie Fishbein, whose TV commercials for Kacey Fine Furniture for more than two decades made her one of the most recognizable businesswomen in the Denver area, died Wednesday.

Mrs. Fishbein, 55, had been clinging to life since receiving an injection at a physician's office March 4 to relieve pain from a horseback riding injury from several years ago. She suffered an unexpected reaction and went into cardiac arrest, friends said, and had been removed from life support.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, daughter and sister, Leslie Fishbein," the family said in a statement.

"Leslie was a vibrant and loving member of our community as well as our family. Her passing is a profound loss for all of us."

A funeral will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the main sanctuary at Congregation Emanuel at 51 Grape St., an official from Feldman Mortuary said. The interment will be private.

The unexpected circumstances that led to her death shocked and saddened close friends as well as those who knew her only from her commercials.

Mrs. Fishbein's death was especially heartbreaking for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Mrs. Fishbein's father, Jack Barton, was Hickenlooper's landlord when he first opened Wynkoop Brewing Co. in downtown Denver 20 years ago. Before Hickenlooper turned the brick building in lower downtown into Denver's first brewpub, it had been a warehouse for Kacey Fine Furniture.

"Jack Barton was like my surrogate father - Leslie was like my sister," said Hickenlooper, who had visited with the family frequently since Mrs. Fishbein's collapse.

Barton, and his wife, Shirley, he noted, had Leslie and two other daughters but no son.

"And my dad died when I was a kid, so it was almost like they adopted me," Hickenlooper said. "Leslie was like my sister."

He said that Mrs. Fishbein really hit her stride at her family's furniture business about the same time he was launching Wynkoop. She had joined Kacey Fine Furniture in 1976 after graduating from the University of Colorado.

The Denver economy was bad, and that made it difficult for both their respective businesses, Hickenlooper said. Mrs. Fishbein and her parents frequently dined at Wynkoop, helping out his fledgling restaurant, he said.

To say Mrs. Fishbein was full of life was an understatement.

"I think I'm a pretty energetic person, and she had the ability to make me feel like I was moving in slow motion," Hickenlooper said. "She lived a big life. And she had a lively sense of humor."

She was the president of Jack Barton Co., the parent of Kacey Fine Furniture. Her husband, Sam, of more than 30 years, is the CEO. They had no children but were active in a number of charities.

Jake Jabs, head of American Furniture Warehouse, said the death of "Leslie is absolutely sad, a tragedy. I did quite a few things with her. Whenever she saw me at a (furniture) show, she came up to me and gave me a big hug. She was really the gal that made Kacey Fine Furniture a viable company. She was a good, hard-working girl who was really smart. I'm sorry for her and her family."

Linda Alvarado, who heads Alvarado Construction, one of the nation's largest Hispanic construction companies, admired Mrs. Fishbein's entrepreneurial zeal and business acumen, in addition to liking her personally.

"My heart is very, very sad," Alvarado said. "She was such a positive role model for aspiring women business owners. On her commercials, her reach went far beyond selling Kacey Fine Furniture. Her infectious laugh and involvement in civic and community initiatives was great. She was a great asset to our community. This woman certainly will be missed."

Bob Greenlee, the former mayor of Boulder who used to own the KBCO radio station with his wife, Diane, and who is the co-founder of the Rock Bottom Restaurant business, had known Mrs. Fishbein and her parents for about 25 years.

"Leslie's passing is indescribably painful," Greenlee said in an e-mail. "That cherry voice and infectious smile we have all witnessed over many years will no longer be shared with those of us who have known and loved her for so long. Her keen sense of humor and her warm and gracious manner will always be with us."

Diane Greenlee said that she and her husband first met Leslie and Sam Fishbein in 1983 on a KUSA trip to South Hampton, Great Britain.

"We were sailing on the QE-2 and returned on the Concorde, and ever since we have been strong and steady friends," she said.

In August 1990, she and Bob invited the Fishbeins to their 25th wedding anniversary in the Durango area.

It rained, forcing everyone to don garbage bags.

"My fondest memory of Leslie was back at the hotel in Telluride, leading us through the raisin dance to Heard It Through the Grapevine, while we were all wearing black, plastic garbage bags," she said.

rebchookj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5207