Dolores Westerman, a savvy businesswoman, knew if her antique store were pink it would certainly attract attention.
And it did. Westerman, the successful owner of The Way We Were Antiques at South Downing Street and East Alameda Avenue, died at her Cherry Hills home April 11. She was 80.
Westerman also wore a pink blouse to work every day, said her daughter, Whitney Formby of Grasmere, England.
And when she was put on oxygen in 2002, she began decorating the cart that carried her oxygen tank: green and red for Christmas; red, white and blue for the Fourth of July – whatever struck her fancy.
But her talent for business was more than color.
“People did their Christmas shopping there,” said cousin Delores Plested of Denver. “She was likable and had a wonderful sense of humor.”
“She was young at heart and a go-getter with ceaseless enthusiasm,” Formby said.
Also, she could be tough and “absolutely spoke her mind,” said her niece, Eugenia Williams of Denver and Grand Junction.
Westerman started the store about 20 years ago “for fun,” said Williams. “But then she got so involved,” going to estate sales here and bringing back store items when she made trips to England to visit her daughter.
She often bragged that she had something for everyone in the store, even if only a $1 item, Formby said.
Always interested in fashion, Westerman was delighted when Plested brought in old copies of W, the New York fashion newspaper. Westerman used the pages for wrapping, “and the customers liked it,” Plested said.
Relatives described Westerman as frank, vivacious and high-energy, and a woman who made friends with everyone. She loved sports, “but she always said she wasn’t very good at them,” said her daughter. But Westerman was an avid swimmer and did cartwheels off the diving board, Formby said.
She loved BMWs and always had a convertible.
Westerman retired 10 years ago, and the store is no longer there.
Dolores Jean Hahnewald was born in Denver on Jan. 10, 1926, and graduated from East High School. Her first marriage, to Gordon O’Dell, ended in divorce. On May 13, 1962, she married David Westerman, who worked in the store with her.
Dolores Westerman was preceded in death by her second husband and her son, David Westerman Jr.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at 303-820-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com.
