Obituary of Aaron Bregman

Aaron Bregman died on January 23, 2023 at age 98, with his children and grandchildren by his side.

He was born on April 12, 1924 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the third and youngest child of Mendel and Dora Bregman, and the only child born in the United States.  Mendel, Dora, his older brother Morris, and sister Francis emigrated to Cheyenne from Minsk Belarus in 1920 to live near family. He grew up working in the family businesses, from the fruit and vegetable stand during the summers when he was just a little boy, to the pawn and furniture store, and finally the Cowboy Corral, a western wear and supply store in downtown Cheyenne.  Of course, he attended Cheder and synagogue, but also found time (sometimes by playing hooky) to become an accomplished pool player (specifically Snooker) and found his passion to play basketball.

He went to the University of Wyoming (the first in his family to go to college) for a year until volunteering to serve during WWII, much of which he spent stationed in India (quite the experience for a boy from Cheyenne). After the war, he resumed college at the University of Denver where he played basketball with the Pioneers, an experience that took him all over the country, including a playoff game at Madison Square Garden.

After graduation with a degree in accounting, he returned to Cheyenne to work in the store, and more importantly, “to get to really know his folks.” Eventually, he headed to Toronto, Canada in March 1953 to visit his sister and her family and be set up on several blind dates, where he met the only one that mattered, Ellen Druckman.  Shortly after meeting, Ellen and Aaron married in Toronto on August 23, 1953 in the stunning English garden of Ellen’s family home, and then headed back to Cheyenne to live.

Within a few years after starting their family (4 children in 5 years), Aaron started his real estate business, including, brokerage, investing and developing single residences for sale. Even years later when visiting Cheyenne, he would point out the properties he developed, and sold and speak of the people he did business with. After his mother and father passed, the family moved to Denver to take advantage of the opportunities and exposure of a larger community, and there he started his commercial real estate office, all the while commuting between Cheyenne and Denver a few times a week to maintain that office until establishing the Denver business.

To the end of his long life Aaron was interested in everything and everybody, as anyone who had a conversation with him knows. He felt the responsibility of participating in the Jewish community, whether it be with the family, his involvement with building the synagogue in Cheyenne, or his time on the boards of organizations in Denver, including the early establishment of Shalom Park. But he also avidly loved sports and games.  From playing tennis and golf, to fishing and croquet.  He had a long running regular poker game but also loved the challenge of bridge. The thing about Aaron is that whatever he did, he participated fully. 

Aaron was buried with full military honors at the Mount Sinai Jewish Cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming at a small graveside service held on January 23, 2023. He is survived by his children Judith (husband Hank), and David, and David’s children Nicholas Bernard and Dylan Robert Bregman. He was a kind and loving man, a good husband and father, and his presence on this earth will be terribly missed, but his memory will survive.

Donations may be made in his name to ADL (https://support.adl.org) or The Denver Hospice (https://thedenverhospice.org).