Andy Loewi was born in veterans’ housing in New York and rose to national stature as a Denver trial lawyer, an advocate for good government and a fighter for the little guys.
Last November, while training for the Chicago Marathon and “in the best shape of his life,” he was diagnosed with kidney cancer that had metastasized into his bones. He died Sunday, in his own bed, surrounded by family and friends. He was 56.
“Once you became a friend of his, you had no better friend than Andy,” said Cole Finegan, a former Denver city attorney whom Loewi recruited to move to Denver. “Andy was a big factor why I took the job.
“He was extremely tough- minded but soft-hearted,” Finegan said. “He was tenacious in challenging you, very hard- nosed. But for anyone who was small or a victim or needed help, Andy had a very soft heart.”
Tom Strickland, a former U.S. attorney, recruited Loewi to practice in Denver after Loewi graduated from Harvard Law School in 1982. “If there had been a draft, he would have been the top pick coming out of Harvard,” said Strickland, the godfather of Loewi’s youngest daughter, Samantha.
He was born in New York’s Stuyvesant neighborhood and moved to Denver with his family. He graduated from George Washington High School in Denver at 16 and was elected class president at Grinnell College in Iowa.
Loewi worked seven years for U.S. Sen. Dick Clark of Iowa, later an undersecretary of state. After moving to Denver, he volunteered in Dale Tooley’s 1983 mayoral campaign. There, he met his future wife, Pat, Tooley’s campaign manager.
He worked as a deputy district attorney in Denver from 1983 to 1986, then joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where he worked the rest of his life. He ran the litigation department for four years and most recently the pro bono committee, urging colleagues to represent more indigent clients for no fee.
Gov. Bill Ritter called Loewi “a great citizen of the community. He was a good friend and will be deeply missed.”
Ritter intends to proclaim May 15, Loewi’s birthday, as “Andy Loewi Day,” said spokesman Evan Dreyer.
Loewi served on the national board of Common Cause, and argued a successful appeal for them, pro bono, to the Colorado Supreme Court, which forced corporations to report their political contributions. He also successfully argued another appeal, pro bono, that resulted in protecting the public identity of rape victims.
“He loved baseball, especially the (Los Angeles) Dodgers,” said Pat. “But he eventually adopted the Rockies. The last outing we had as a family was the Rockies’ opening day game last Monday.”
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his father, Roger Loewi of Denver; a brother, David Loewi of Morris, Minn.; and two daughters, Kim Knous Dolan, and Samantha Loewi, a student at East High School.
When Samantha was diagnosed 14 years ago with mus cular dystrophy, the Loewis formed a nonprofit organi zation that has raised nearly $1 million for research.
Recently, a research team under the direction of Nobel laureate and CU professor Tom Cech and headed by Dr. Kevin Campbell of the University of Iowa identified a missing protein as the cause, and possibly the cure, of Samantha’s type of dystrophy.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association – The Samantha Loewi Fund, 720 S. Colorado Blvd, Suite 365-S, Denver, CO 80246. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5000 E. Alameda Ave., Denver.
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
