Former Colorado first lady Beatrice Miller Romer, a pioneering advocate for early childhood education, died Sunday in Denver. She was 93.

Romer died surrounded by family, including her husband of 70 years, former Gov. Roy Romer, at their daughter’s home following a long illness, her family said in a statement released on Tuesday.

She is survived by her husband, seven children, 22 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

A driving force in the late 1980s behind legislation that created the Colorado Preschool Project – reinvented this year as the Colorado Preschool Program – Romer laid the groundwork over decades as a champion for the importance of making preschool widely available, particularly for at-risk youth.

Romer co-founded numerous preschools in Denver in the mid-1960s, including the Montview Community Preschool and Kindergarten, Stanley British Primary School and Stanley Teacher Prep Program. In 1965, she established the group that later brought Head Start to Colorado.

During her husband’s three terms as governor, from 1987-1999, Romer spearheaded the creation of the First Impressions Initiative in the Governor’s Policy Office.

“Way before I understood the importance of early childhood education, Bea was already leading the charge,” said former Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, founder of the Colorado Children’s Campaign.

“She had political expertise and important insights. And her leadership made possible all of the improvements in the childcare system and the preschool system that we see across our state,”

Added O’Brien: “This is a huge loss. She is a symbol of what is right in public life. She imagined a different future for young at-risk kids and then she put the pieces in place to make it a reality.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis offered his “deepest condolences” to his gubernatorial predecessor and the entire Romer family.

“Bea’s dedication to advancing early childhood education shaped a generation of Coloradans, improving our state now and in the future and creating a legacy that will always be remembered,” Polis said in a statement. “Her passion and kindness inspired all those around her, especially myself, and Colorado is grateful for her life and contributions.”

Born in 1929 in Laramie, Wyoming to Arthur and Lova Miller, Romer graduated high school in Nebraska before her family moved to Denver, where her father was the longtime pastor of Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. She received a degree in early childhood development in 1951 from Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now Colorado State University, and later completed a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Colorado in Denver.

“Children were the light of her life. Nothing compares to the smile on Bea’s face in the presence of a child,” said her daughter Liz Romer, chief clinical advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs. “She never stopped thinking about how to make the world better for them.”

Among Romer’s other children are former state Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, and economist Paul Romer, a former chief economist at the World Bank and a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Longtime early childhood education advocate Ana Jo Haynes recalled when Romer reached out nearly 60 years ago about bringing Head Start to Colorado in a statement released by Romer’s family.

“You knew if Bea Romer is heading it, it would be done right,” Haynes said. “We all knew how good she was on early childhood education. We got busy and it was an incredible summer to get this program launched. And Bea was still running her own school at Montview. But Bea didn’t see problems or challenges. She saw these opportunities as a privilege to contribute. People knew that, and they responded and got involved. She just had that way with people.”

Sally Kweskin Vogler, the founding director of First Impressions, credited Romer’s inclusive approach for their success making early childhood education a part of the state’s policy landscape.

“She never pushed. She never demanded. She never took offense. She never was critical of people who had different views. She quietly and gently moved forward an agenda that was unheard of at that time,” Vogler said.

“She loved children. It drove her to be something that she actually fundamentally wasn’t. She never would have sought out any spotlight. But this passion that she had for children just allowed her to become a tremendously effective and admired leader. She never walked away from her love of children and her desire to see each and every one of them have the chance to thrive.”

Donna Garnett, the program’s second director, described Romer as “an inspiration to all of us” when she used her position at the state Capitol to work on behalf of children.

“It came from her heart,” Garnett said. “She had studied and she had worked with young children and their parents. She was a true expert. She didn’t say, ‘This is my chance to be the first lady.’ She said, ‘How do we harness the work of all of the advocates who have worked together for years?'”

Romer served on numerous state and national boards devoted to early childhood education, including the Child Care Action Campaign, the Family Resource Coalition of America, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Head Start Fellowship Review Committee. She was awarded the Friend of Education Award and was the recipient of a Citation for Distinguished State and Government Service for Advocacy on Behalf of Colorado’s Children.

Romer also played a part in launching Colorado’s Family Resource Centers, which aim to provide one-stop shopping for families in need. The state boasts 38 centers serving thousands of family’s, Romer’s family noted.

In addition to her civic involvement, her family said Romer was a voracious reader and “the ringleader” of multiple book clubs. An avid traveler who visited every continent except Antarctica, Romer loved art and supported the Denver Art Museum.

Most of all, she loved spending time with her family, including at their mountain home.

Services are pending. Her family asked that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to her favorite organizations, including Montview Community Preschool and Kindergarten, Stanley British Primary School, CSU Early Childhood Center, The Deloris Project and Clayton Early Learning Center.

Romer’s longtime executive assistant, Jennie Kauerz Dawe, said her boss’s unassuming authenticity stood out.

“She would describe herself first as a mother and grandmother and finally she would get around to saying she was the first lady of Colorado,” Kauerz Dawe said. “She was just lovely and authentic. She made things happen in a quiet way, but she changed Colorado for the better for kids, and it will be her enduring legacy.”