“He reflected the best of the Senate because he reflected the best in us.”

They came from all over Colorado – the Western Slope, the Eastern Plains and the Front Range – and from both sides of the aisle and from both chambers, to honor the memory of one of the state Senate’s most beloved members: Republican Sen. Ken Kester. The memorial was the most moving memorial this reporter has seen in 20 years at the Capitol.

Kester – who represented southeast Colorado in the state Senate from 2003 to 2011 after four years in the House – died Feb. 17 in his Arizona home at age 81.

Twenty former lawmakers – 18 from the Senate and two from the House – came to the Senate Tuesday to honor the memory, legacy and humor of the former Las Animas legislator.

Former Sen. Mark Hillman of Burlington shared a conversation he had with Kester over legislation to impose a statewide smoking ban that would include bars. Hillman commented that no one goes into a bar for his health. Kester’s response: “Well, it sure helps me calm down!”

Former Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald of Golden, who was back in the Senate for only the second time since leaving in 2007, said Kester was part of an era of bipartisanship that no longer exists.

“I really loved Ken,” said former Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, formerly of Littleton. In his position, “you bear every burden to whip up the troops to toe the party line, except for Ken Kester.” Many times, when Kopp – a fellow Republican – would share with Kester how important a vote was for the whole party caucus,  Kester’s reply – “OK, OK” – meant he probably wouldn’t vote with the caucus but he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

Former Sen. Josh Penry of Grand Junction, who succeeded Kopp in the minority leader position, recalled how Kester knew his own mind when it came to voting his district. “I never had a dull word or sour moment with this man,” Penry said, adding that Kester was “magnanimous” and a true champion for rural Colorado. He wasn’t capable of delivering a partisan speech, Penry said. “He reflected the best of the Senate because he reflected the best in us.”

Former Sen. Nancy Spence of Centennial noted that Kester would write personal notes to his constituents every day. He held his constituency close and voters loved him for it. Spence noted that she and Kester were the oldest lawmakers of either the House or Senate at the time they served. Kester was the older by six months.

“There was always a twinkle in his eye,” said former Sen. Pat Steadman of Denver, whose first year in the Senate was Kester’s last. “That quiet quality of graciousness is what I will remember most” about Kester, Steadman said.

Former Sen. Lois Tochtrop of Adams County and Kester came to the House together in 1999. She recounted how they first got laptops and tried to figure out what to do with them. She also told a tale of how Kester carried a bill reorganizing the licensure for cosmetologists, with then Rep. Ken Chlouber of Leadville as the House sponsor. Good-looking women came down to the Capitol to lobby for the bill, Tochtrop said, and Kester and Chlouber made sure they had constant meetings, including in a bar across the street.

“It was tough to get his vote but when you had it, you had it,” added former Sen. Steve Ward of Centennial. Former Sen. Suzanne Williams of Aurora said that when she needed a vote across the aisle, she went to Kester first. “He was the outstanding diplomat of the chamber” and of the General Assembly, she said.

“If the measure of a man is in the number of friends he has, Ken Kester was a mountain,” added Senate President Kevin Grantham of Cañon City.

As the roll call vote was taken for Kester’s memorial, each member of the Senate rose in his honor. And then the Senate did something extraordinary: They also took “aye” votes from each of the senators in attendance, both current and former, while the Senate rang the chimes in his memory.

The vote was 53-0.