Alan Eber

Obituary of Alan Eber

Alan Stanley Eber, Denver;

Father of: Judie (Alan) Sherin, Samuel Eber, and Jennifer Eber;

Grandfather of: Matthew Sherin, Jordyn Eber, and Derek Eber;

Son of: Isidor "Dearie" Eber and Roselle "Rosie" Eber both of blessed memory;

Brother of: Richard "Dick" Eber of blessed memory;

Former Husband of: the late Marilyn Eber of blessed memory;

Celebration of Life - Date, Time, Location TBD.

Alan Eber was born in 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the eldest son of "Rosie" and "Dearie" Eber, and had a younger brother, whom he was very fond of, named "Dick". They moved to Denver when Alan was 3 and Dick was 1, so he was a near native Coloradan.

He went to Park Hill Elementary, Smiley Junior High and then to East High School where he graduated in 1948. 1948 was the year Truman was president; Israel became a nation; the Olympics were in London; Yankee Stadium paid tribute to the ailing Babe Ruth; Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra were popular musicians; TV was new, and the Lone Ranger was a hit.

Dad studied at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1948 – 1951 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy.

From age 15 – 21 he worked as a general clerk and soda jerk, with his father, at Alan Eber Drug Company (Est. 1933) located at 3140 E Colfax Avenue. His duties included carrying the heavy crates of empty glass soda bottles up a narrow staircase multiple times a day. And then, he filled those glass bottles up with flavored syrups, carbonated water, and sometimes milk or ice cream to make the customer's sodas, malts, shakes and floats… all of which he tried not to spill on his white apron and coat. He often delivered drinks curbside and loved this part of the job because he could admire everyone's cars. This was the spark that kindled his passion for cars… He even started to sneak the family car out to go cruise with his friends.

He served in the US Air Force from the spring of 1951 to the fall of 1952 and was stationed out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. With his BS in Pharmacy, the Air Force utilized him within a traveling medical convoy. He would go base to base with a small crew in a big military truck providing medical care to the cadets such as tooth extractions, wound treatment and bandage changes, blister treatments, boot rot remedies, and more.

In 1953, he studied at the University of Denver to attain his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. While there, he became President of Phi Sigma Delta, a Greek fraternity nationally awarded for its outstanding social welfare work. And, in 1957 he passed his State Pharmacy examination and received his license. He returned to his name sake Drug Store to work with his father, also a Pharmacist, for a few years until it closed in 1960.

Also in 1960, dad built Broomfield Lanes bowling alley with a contractor friend and operated it for many years. It still exists today although it has changed ownership and name several times. Dad was an excellent bowler. We're not sure if he ever bowled a perfect game of 300, but he regularly scored 260 points, give or take, with league award pins to prove it. Dad also enjoyed playing tennis and skiing.

In the late 60's he and his brother opened a Gift Shop in the old Stapleton International Airport selling everything from Colorado Ski Resort posters to Snoopy trinkets for children. This began dad's shift from Pharmacist to Property Manager. The Gift Shop was one of the first of many businesses and properties that the brothers would come to own and operate together. One of the most iconic buildings in downtown Denver used to be owned by Alan and Dick, the beautiful Evans School Building in the Golden Triangle.

In the early 1970's he met Marilyn Silverberg and her two children Judie & Sam. They soon wed, had another child Jennifer, and became a blended family of 5. And, even though Alan & Marilyn divorced in 1983, they remained friendly throughout their lives. He was also a proud grandfather of three and treasured every moment he spent with Matt, Jordyn and Derek.

In his spare time, dad had a couple of hobbies that brought him great joy. His early hobby was collecting full-size, metal and wood, National cash registers. He'd find them at auctions and swap meets, and eventually amassed more than 100, giving him one of the largest (and heaviest) collections of anyone in the world. But, his #1 passion was always for cars, especially Model A Fords. He owned three of them, one of which he built himself from scratch. In the 80's he bought into the ownership of Bert's Model A Ford Garage with a dear friend and the rest was history as they say. He was a proud member of the Model A Ford Club for decades where he had many friends who all loved to tinker and talk shop, take road trips all over the US and Canada, and participate in various community events.

Dad never got caught up in appearances and was genuine and authentic. He was handy and could fix anything. He was gentle and kind, and absolutely loved to kibbitz. He held the door for people, he said hello to strangers, he always offered to help, he was generous and supportive, and he loved to be silly and joke. Truly a wonderful man and one of a kind.

Contributions to Alzheimer's Association, Humane Colorado (Denver Dumb Friends League), Temple Sinai, or charity of choice