Civic leader Will McFarlane was done roamin’ Thursday afternoondying after a long battle with cancer.
Here in town, he left behind his wife, Sue, and their son Geoff. Four other kids live out of town.
Will had some fun, that man. He lived big. He threw a lot of hoedowns that made a lot of people happy.
His company owned the Brown Palace for a spell, and the ballroom there was the site of one of the wildest parties I’ve ever been to in Denver.
It was a flamingo-themed throwdown before the expression existed.
Parties at Camp McFarlane, his 8,000-square-foot Minturn ranch house, were legendary — with enough room for people to stay over if they had to. And many did.
Will would be up first the next morning, cooking bacon for 30.
His Labrador retriever, Buff Dog, wandered the property all day. God knows what he ate out there. Back at the ranch, he could stink up a room faster than that kid on “Two and a Half Men.”
I turned 50 with a party at the Denver Buffalo Company, Will and Sue’s foray into the restaurant business, where he served up his passion, buffalo. Lannie Garrett’s Patsy DeCline act played there for years.
Funny when you read a poem in college and it comes back to you 40 years later and suddenly means something new, something else entirely. So here’s e.e. cumming’s defiant loving poem on Buffalo Bill — which I’ll change to Buffalo Will for this Sunday morning send-off.
Buffalo Will’s
defunct
who used to
ride a water-smooth- silver
stallion
and break one- twothreefour- five pigeons- justlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
So long, Will.
Memorial services at 3 p.m. Thursday at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St., followed by — what else? — a throwdown celebration at Jet Hotel.
More Heidi.
Crested Butte’s Heidi Montag is on the cover of US Weekly and Rolling Stone. OK, she’s the star of MTV’s breakout hit “The Hills” with the evil boyfriend Spencer Pratt, but who knew our fascination with Montag would grow so big?
At least Rolling Stone takes shots at the couple, calling them EOWC (End of Western Civilization).
Montag was on “Letterman” recently, as well as the subject of a riff on “Chelsea Lately.” Check them out on YouTube. Also, watch an appalling clip of “Tyra Banks” where Pratt says he wants to adopt a child from Africa and name him “Dunk.” Can we stop these morons?
City spirit.
No reservations for Mother’s Day brunch/dinner? You can still find a spot at . . . Sez who: “You’re gonna be the best-looking cowboy in the whole parade.” — “Midnight Cowboy”
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
