Bench dedication to honor the memory of Ann Whitehill scheduled for May 6

Just over a year ago, in April of 2022, a treasured member of the Niwot community, Left Hand Valley Courier Advertising Director and Niwot Jewelry & Gifts staff member Ann Whitehill, passed away suddenly. Since then, she has been greatly missed by the community and members have been working to honor her with the dedication of a bench in her name outside of the jewelry store on 2nd Avenue.

A dedication of the bench will be held Saturday, May 6 at 4 p.m. on the patio outside Niwot Jewelry & Gifts at 300 2nd Avenue in Niwot. The community is invited to attend.

Niwot Jewelry owner Jan Kahl talked about why the dedication was meaningful to her. "Ann worked for us for a year and we loved her dearly," she said. "Ann was a quick learner, she loved being here and we trusted her immensely. That's important when you run a jewelry store."

"Ann was a key member of our team at the Courier," Managing Editor Bruce Warren said. "She built relationships with people and businesses in the community, and was passionate about everything she did. We've missed her."

The bench was funded by generous donations from community members through a Go Fund Me campaign. The campaign page encourages community members to attend and share their memories, joining Ann's brother David and sister Alice who will come to the ceremony. As the page explains, "If you can't make the date, the bench will remain on the patio where you can sit anytime, a place to remember Ann."