CENTRAL CITY OPERA

Central City

News: For as many years as anyone can remember, Newell Grant and his late wife, Judy, were among the Central City Opera’s most dedicated supporters. Thus, it was only fitting that the company’s signature fundraiser, the April 5 Theatre of Dreams Gala, would honor their service on what would have been Judy’s 80th birthday.

She died on June 15, 2020, at the couple’s Greenwood Village home.

“This is a wonderful tribute to her,” Newell told the 270 guests who’d gathered at the Cable Center for a night featuring entertainment by soprano Sara Gartland and the Central City Opera Lyric Theatre Singers. “She would have been (thrilled) to be honored — and she would have been the life of the party.”

Judy joined the board of the Central City Opera House Association in 2002 and was named board chair in 2018. In addition to her work for the opera, she served on the board of directors for the Denver Botanic Gardens, Sweet Briar College, Reach out and Read, and the Mesa Verde Foundation. She also chaired the Denver Debutante Ball and was an adviser to the Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale.

Newell Grant worked on Wall Street before returning to Colorado to work in the cattle and real estate businesses. He is descended from Colorado’s third governor, James B. Grant. He is the son of the late Ned and Mary Belle Grant who ranched in Morgan, Douglas, Park, Jefferson and Routt counties, raising sugar beets, cattle, sheep, turkeys and horses. They also ran the state’s largest dairy.

Newell’s parents raised their five children on the family’s Grant Farm in southwest Denver. The property is home to Southwest Plaza Shopping Center, Clement Park, Raccoon Creek Golf Club, and the Grant Ranch housing community. His siblings include Pat Grant, a former state legislator and president emeritus of the National Western Stock Show, and sisters Susan Grant Raymond, Cecily (Ces) Grant and Anne Grant Lowdermilk.

Maureen Barker, a past president of the Central City Opera board, described Judy Grant, who also had been Barker’s seventh-grade teacher, as “A guiding light for all who knew her. She embodied selflessness and grace and Newell stood alongside her all the way. They shaped the cultural landscape of Colorado, and their impact reverberates throughout the state.”

Natela Manunts chaired the Theatre of Dreams Gala and helped Scott Finlay, the opera company’s president and chief executive officer, welcome guests that included Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey; State Rep. Paul Rosenthal; El Pomar Foundation board chair Dave Palenchar; former state Sen. Penfield Tate III, who recently became the first person of color to chair the History Colorado board; Katie Grassby, president of the Central City Opera Guild; and Dana Davis, executive director of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

About the organization: The Central City Opera is the nation’s fifth-oldest opera company and, since 1932, has presented world-class productions in its beautifully restored 1878 opera house in Central City.

Website: centralcityopera.org

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