| Notes |
- https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?viewrecord=1&r=an&db=ColoradoCountyDeath&indiv=try&h=40690
- https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/307605888:7545?indiv=try&o_vc=Record%3aOtherRecord&rhSource=61798
- Jil Rosentrater, 65
Jil Rosentrater lent a creative, ambitious hand to the art scene
Denver Post, The (CO) - Thursday, February 21, 2013
Jil Rosentrater's life may have started as a blank canvas, but through her talents, love and genuine compassion, a masterpiece was created.
A longtime arts activist, Rosentrater worked tirelessly to make sure creative arts of all types could be enjoyed by all.
Rosentrater died Monday from ovarian cancer. She had been diagnosed in mid-December. She was 65.
Those who knew Rosentrater called her a selfless person who had a deep appreciation for what makes life beautiful.
"She held relationships with artists very close, but also paid close attention to the little things happening in all her friends' lives," said her husband, David.
Rarely did she have a negative word to say about anyone or anything, he said, and people quickly enjoyed being in her company.
"You would have liked her within the first four minutes of meeting her," he said. "She wanted to include everyone in her heart."
Rosentrater earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Colorado in 1969. She and David married in December 1970 and moved to Greeley soon after.
Rosentrater worked at the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce from 1972 to 1978.
For 25 years she worked as director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Greeley. In 2000, The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation honored Rosentrater for her role in shaping Greeley's cultural scene, including the development of the Union Colony Cultural Center.
"In many ways, Jil's life was like a work of art, leaving people inspired and enriched for the privilege of having known her," said foundation president Dorothy Horrell.
The Union Colony Cultural Center wasn't a popular idea in the community when it was first proposed, said David Zupancic, associate director of development for the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
"She had to be tenacious to get it completed," he said, "but once it opened, all embraced it."
Rosentrater wanted to spread her love of art, and the Union Colony Cultural Center was her stamp on the community in that regard, Zupancic said.
She also is credited with creation of Centennial Village and the Greeley Historic Preservation Commission. She also helped establish a 1 percent-for-the-arts funding program, a library district and the Greeley public art program.
Born in Salt Lake City in 1947, she was the youngest daughter of Louise and Richard Gamblin. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a sister, Gae Gamblin Miller.
A memorial will take place at a later date.
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1947 - 2013 (65 years)
