Mara Pawlowski

Margaret Ann "Mara" Pawlowski, age 64, of Boulder, Colorado, passed away on December 18, 2022. Beloved sister to brothers Mark (Yvonne), David (Nannette), and Paul. Aunt to nieces Grace and Sophie. Born September 28, 1958, in Glen Ellyn, IL, Mara attended Glenbard West High School, followed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of Denver College of Law.

Upon passing the bar exam, Mara began her law career in the office of Mike Gonser and Associates, eventually becoming Gonser & Pawlowski, P.C., widely known as a Colorado gay-friendly law firm. Mike and Mara would speak at gay events covering topics such as business and employment law, estate planning, and gay divorces.

During the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Mara devoted part of her time to helping AIDS patients in any way she could, many of which had no wills and no powers of attorney to provide them protection. Mara found her niche and became a volunteer with the Colorado AIDS Project (CAP), handling many estate planning referrals. Each document signing required two witnesses and a Notary Public. In most cases, time was of the essence, for many of these clients were in their last stages of life, and the signings occurred at their homes or Denver General Hospital.

This work was the driving force that inspired Mara to create Saturday "Will-A-Thons," where clients could sign up with CAP to meet pro bono with a volunteer attorney and have estate planning documents, usually a Will, a Medical Power of Attorney, a Financial Power of Attorney and a Living Will, prepared.

In 1992 Colorado became a "hate state" after voters passed Amendment Two, which added a clause to the state's constitution that prevented municipalities from enacting anti-discrimination laws protecting gay, lesbian, or bisexual people. The struggle to overturn this travesty spanned many years, during which Mara and several friends formed an all-lesbian 1960s band called the Dead Sinatras to play at fundraisers. In 1993 the Westword newspaper named the Dead Sinatras the "Best Band in Drag," an award she cherished. The legal battle led to the Supreme Court of the United States declaring the amendment unconstitutional, overturning it in 1996. A highlight as a member of the Dead Sinatras came in 2008 when the Hilary Clinton campaign invited the group to perform at a reception for the candidate at the Denver Art Museum.

Mara was also a founding member of the Colorado LGBTQ Bar Association and was thrilled that the Bar continues today. However, she gives most of the credit to the other founding members.

In addition to her love of music and all animals, Mara enjoyed traveling, having visited several countries in Europe and Latin America, and spending time in Nepal and Cuba. After a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2000, Mara retired from the law profession and sorely missed all the pro bono opportunities associated with being an attorney; however, she continued her volunteer work aiding the local Sunshine Fire Protection District and the Boulder District Attorney's Major Crime Unit as a crime victim and witness advocate.

Even though her legs began to fail her due to her illness, she could still ride horses, and her wish was for her tombstone to read: "She couldn't walk, but she could ride."

If you are inclined, contributions to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or The Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center in Longmont, Colorado, would be appreciated.

There will be no service.