Dolores Dayhoff

Born on April 16, 1933 in Santa Fe, NM to Isidro Herrera and Isabel Duran, which became a challenging family environment. Adversity met its match when it decided to test DD. According to DD, her mother was rarely home, often leaving she and her older brother alone for long periods of time with little food. Her father, a sheepherder, was largely absent from the house while tending to his flock in the hills. At the age of 8 she ran away from home to her aunt’s. When her mother came to reclaim her, DD was asked by her aunt if she wanted to stay with her or go home with her mother. DD, hiding and shuttering in her aunt’s closet, said yes, she wanted to stay with her aunt. From that moment on, she lived with her aunt, along with her young-adult cousin, husband, and their child. She would often say she was the Cinderella of the family. But in the same breath, she would say while she may not have gotten much affection from her aunt, her aunt “Was the smartest person I knew and taught me a lot.”

From her aunt she learned how to be frugal and save money. When DD moved out of her aunt’s house after graduating from high school, she rented a single room with another woman… and they shared the same double bed. DD said it was all either of them could afford! DD worked at Woolworths in Santa Fe. While initially working in a customer service position, it wasn’t long before management recognized her mathematical and organizational abilities and moved her to a bookkeeping position. So began DD’s career with numbers. She then moved to the Bank of Santa Fe, where she continued to expand her skills and resume.

Armed with her resume and independence, she boarded a bus arriving in Denver in her early 20’s/mid 1950’s… all by herself, knowing no one, where she took up residency at the Saint Rose Residence for Women. She took a job a Woolworth’s in Denver and not long after, interviewed with the First National Bank of Denver. She was hired. There, she advanced through various departments and worked her entire 35+ years banking career.

In the late 1950’s a girlfriend in Denver introduced her to Daniel Dayhoff. They were married on October 27, 1962, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Denver. DD’s Hispanic ethnicity was a source of disapproval from her soon to be in-laws. When her in-laws told their son they would not help him buy a car for he and his soon-to-be bride, DD said that was no problem, she had already saved up the money to buy one for them. When her soon to be in-laws told their son and DD that they were not welcome to live in any of the rental properties they own, DD said that was no problem, she would be able to pay the rent. They would remain married 36 years until Dan’s untimely death on April 26, 1998, at the age of 64. It was unfortunate that DD and Dan only enjoyed a few years of retirement together.

The independence of that 8-year-old would define DD for the rest of her life. There was no question she was afraid to ask. There was no opinion she was afraid to give. In her early years, working at the bank, the bank remodeled and placed DD’s department in a room not properly heated for Colorado winters. To keep warm, employees wore coats, gloves and hats. While the manager wouldn’t speak up to senior management about these unfit working conditions, guess who did?! And yes, conditions did improve. In her later years working at the bank, she found herself on the elevator with the Bank president. When asked how she was doing, she responded she was rather upset. When asked why, she responded because you’re looking at cutting out financial support of employees’ bus passes. People here work very hard and for many of them, they cannot afford a bus pass. But for the bank, it’s really not that much money. Consequently, there was no cutting of the bus pass subsidy by the bank.

Having been one herself, DD was always the champion of the underdog. She strongly believed in charitable giving, especially when it came to those that were hungry or homeless. Her support also extended to professionals and friends who could benefit from her knowledge and skills. With that came tremendous loyalty as evidenced by many of her friends have been so for 4+ decades. In addition to these lifelong friends, DD is survived by her brother John Herrera of Santa Fe, NM; her nephew Michael Benson and wife Brenda of Arkadelphia, AR; nephew Daryl “Kav” Renolds of Sacramento, CA; nephew Robert Baca of Santa Fe, NM; nephew Jonathan Benson; niece Emma Baca of Santa Fe, NM; and nieces Peggy Pulles and Angela Gober.

In lieu of flowers, continuing DD’s charitable giving through memorial contributions to EarthLinks Colorado (www.earthlinks-colorado.org) or Denver Rescue Mission (www.denverrescuemission.org) would be appreciated. Thank You!