The end of an era

August 2025

Dave Conant and Debbie Mohney

Remembering Dave Conant

By Paula DeJohn

David Conant was the one who introduced me to the world of hearing loss, and he was my mentor and inspiration for many years. The news of his death on June 29 at age 96 was not only a sad event, but also the end of an era for the Denver Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Welcome to my world

It was around 2010 when I received my first hearing aids. Heartbroken and fearful, I asked my audiologist if there was a support group for deaf people in the area. He sent me to the then-named Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. They said I should call Dave Conant. Dave invited me to a meeting of the Denver Chapter at the Englewood Public Library.

As was the custom, he began the meeting by asking us each to tell about our activities over the past month, along with our hearing experiences. I found myself joyfully introducing my late-deafened self to a small crowd of people who nodded in sympathy and then spoke up with advice and encouragement. I can’t tell you how important it was to have someone understand and accept me at that early stage in my hearing loss. I remember, and I’ve often shared, Dave’s remark that “This is the best time in history to have hearing loss.” Advances in technology, disability law, and social resources make it so.

It didn’t take long for one of my new friends, Secretary/Treasurer Ann Monson, to suggest I run for secretary, so she could devote her time to the duties of treasurer. Of course Dave welcomed me and kept me busy. One memorable evening Dave, his wife Lynn, and a group of members went to see a play based on the life of Pablo Picasso at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Since we were hard of hearing, we got to sit in the front row. Near the end of the play, the artist-actor portraying Picasso looked for a model for his next portrait, and picked—Dave! I think Lynn was more excited than Dave to roll up the artwork and take it home (Lynn passed away several years ago).

Old neighbors

I knew Dave had worked for the state health department before retiring. But it was not until I saw the obituary published by the Viegut Funeral Home that I learned he was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and grew up in Pembroke, a small town on the South Shore, between Boston and Plymouth. For a couple of years in the late 1980s I was editor of the local paper, the Pembroke Mariner.

Later he moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver, and never left. After his retirement he moved to Johnstown and spent his final days back in the Denver area, in Windsor. His hearing loss was diagnosed in his late 20s. By the time I met him at the Englewood library, he had a cochlear implant.

A little history

State Chapter Coordinator Debbie Mohney was a close friend. “Dave was a constant with the Denver Chapter from when the chapter was meeting at the Center for Hearing, Speech and Language on Hale Parkway. He took me under his wing when I stepped up to the state chapter coordinator role. He wasn’t shy about showing off his hearing aids and listening devices, and finding speakers to help educate chapter members.” Debbie recalls that Dave had a small stroke in 2024, and workouts at the gym helped him recover. “He was using a walker, but could still get up and walk on his own.”

Even after he left the area, Dave stayed in touch with the chapter. His successor as president was his long-time friend Bernie Steinberg. His predecessor, many years ago, was Barbara Nguyen. The current chapter was formed as an expansion of the cochlear implant group she led. “He knew so much how to get everyone involved and what we needed to do as a club,” Barb recalls of Dave’s time as president. “He was a great person to have around and will be missed in remembrance,” she adds. Marilyn Morse Weinhouse, a California transplant, now leads the chapter as president. She says of Dave, “He was the sweetest man, and was president of our chapter before I arrived here 10 years ago.”

Dave Conant with new member Miranda Einhorn at the 2019 Denver Chapter picnic.

Roger Ponds is a long-time member, and an old friend of Dave’s. “Dave and I also have another common bond,” Roger says. “Marion Downs was the audiologist who diagnosed his hearing loss back in the 1950s, and she was the one who diagnosed my hearing loss at age 4, in 1965. Dave made arrangements for me to attend Marion’s l00th birthday party in 2014.”

For Ann Monson, the many stories about Dave are hard to keep track of, but she shares a few strong impressions. “I know he loved playing tennis. I remember going to his house for a meeting. I liked his wife Lynn. He was president when I joined HLAA, but that was when we were still meeting on Hale Parkway. My favorite meeting was the last one we had there, when Marion Downs came to talk.” Overall, she says, Dave was a positive force for the growing chapter. “He was very fun to be around—a happy guy.”

Another old friend is Helene Gustafson, who recalls, “Having known Dave Conant for many years, I thought the world of him. He was a wonderful leader of the Denver Chapter. I think of him as such a warm and caring person who did so much for all of us.” Member Wynne Whyman agrees: “Dave was always positive, encouraging, and did a lot of work for the chapter.”

Memorial plans

Dave’s survivors include three daughters, and a large number of grandchildren and other decendants. His family and friends will gather Sunday, August 3, at 1 p.m. at the Windsor Community Recreation Center, 250 11th St., Windsor, CO, for a celebration of his life. <>

For those with hearing loss, ADA is a work in progress

From a statement by national HLAA

July 26 marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—the landmark civil rights law that changed the lives of millions of people in the United States. Signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush, this groundbreaking legislation prohibits discrimination based on disability and mandates accessibility in workplaces, transportation, public spaces and more.

At the time the ADA was being debated, barriers of the physical world were the initial focus. So sensory disabilities like hearing loss were not always front-and-center in public conversations. Curb cuts and wheelchair ramps were visible markers of change—but what about captions, transcripts, hearing loops and American Sign Language (ASL)? A dedicated group of advocates, including HLAA founder Howard “Rocky” Stone, recognized this gap and acted. His powerful advocacy helped ensure that communication access was incorporated into the final ADA legislation. The law recognized the need for “reasonable accommodations” for people with hearing loss, and that paved the way for access to a range of hearing assistive technology options beyond ASL interpretation, such as captions and hearing loops.

For people with hearing loss, the fight for access didn’t end on July 26, 1990—it was just beginning. Many public places still do not offer effective communication access, or accommodations are limited to ASL, which is only used by 2.8 percent of adults with hearing loss.

New name

The Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind has been renamed the Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (CDDHHDB), also referred to as the Division.

Legal eagles wanted

The division is also looking for volunteers to join its Legal Communication Access Services Advisory Council (LCASAC). The council meets twice a year to review rules for interpreters and other communication assistance for people with hearing loss in legal settings, including courts, police interactions and events such as depositions. Currently, the council is looking for a sign language interpreter and “a member of the public”. To find out more, contact Christine Pendley, Interim Communications Access Services Manager at christine.pendley@state.co.us. Editor’s note: I was a member for a couple of two-year terms, when we met regularly online and in person to review and revise state regulations—and, incidentally, form some good and lasting friendships.

Upcoming meetings

There will be no meetings in August. The next chapter meeting will be Saturday, September 20, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Koelbel Library, 5955 South Holly St., Centennial, CO 80121. Chapter Vice President Jennifer McBride will report on her experience at the national HLAA convention in June in Indianapolis, including the presentation she gave as a speaker.

Dues for 2025 are $20 for an individual and $30 for a couple. Please bring a check made out to HLAA Denver, or you can pay online at https://hearinglossdenver.org.

Grocery fundraiser

The Denver Chapter is promoting a program by King Soopers, in which participants using a shopper’s card (the card you swipe to get a discount) can generate a contribution to the chapter with each purchase. There is no cost to you. Just log on to https://hearinglossdenver.org/community-rewards.

Ann Monson, left, and Roger Ponds share lunch with a new friend at the Denver Chapter’s picnic in July. We’ll have more photos in the next issue.