Family, friends, and dignitaries attend the funeral for former state senator Regis F. Groff takes place at Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church in Denver on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. [Getty Images]

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 10: Allegra "Happy" Haynes, president of the Denver School Board, talks about the influence Regis Groff had on her while serving as one of her teachers. Family, friends, and dignitaries attend the funeral for former state senator Regis F. Groff takes place at Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church in Denver on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. (Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post via Getty Images)