LIÑAN, LUGARDA (LU)

06/16/1942 - 07/07/2021

Lugarda (Lu) Linan passed away on July 7th, 2021 after a nearly 6 year battle with cancer. She is survived by her 4 children, 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband—sal Herrera—in 2015.

Lu touched many, many lives in Colorado and beyond over the course of her 79 years. Born in a one-road town in the San Luis Valley in 1942, Lu moved to Denver after graduating from high school and in 1969 founded the Ballet Folklorico de Denver, a pioneering Mexican folkloric dance troupe that went on to significant acclaim, even receiving an invitation from the Mexican government to perform in Mexico City in 1982. Later in life, she also became an educator with Denver Public Schools spending 20+ years working with English Language Learners primarily at Denver’s West High School. She served as a fierce advocate for the power of Bilingual education and influenced the lives of countless students. More recently, her contributions to the Denver community were acknowledged by numerous institutions, including a lifetime achievement award from Metro State University and induction into the Chicano Music Festival Hall of Fame.

Above all, she was a wonderful mother, caring wife, loving grandmother, and reliable friend, serving as a consistent source of strength for all who knew her. She will be greatly missed by many, but her legacy lives on through all of those that she entertained, educated, and loved throughout her life.

A rosary will be held on Thursday, July 22nd at 7PM and funeral services will begin at 10AM on Friday, July 23rd at Saint Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church at 4200 Federal Blvd in Denver. Burial will take place at Mt. Olivet Cemetery at 12801 W 44th Ave in Wheat Ridge, followed by a small reception.

For full obituary please visit https://cfcscolorado.org/obituaries.