Roger Cisneros was 93, and his wife, Adelia, was 89.
A former state senator and retired judge has been found dead, along with his wife, in their Colorado home after apparently suffering carbon monoxide poisoning.
The bodies of Roger Cisneros, 93, and his wife, Adelia, 89, were found inside their Denver home by their granddaughter on Monday, family told KDVR-TV.
Denver Police said the deaths appeared to be non-criminal in nature and possibly the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Residents and local government officials were heartbroken to hear of the deaths of Adelia and Roger Cisneros, who was remembered as a champion for Latinos wanting to work in law as well of civil rights.
“Judge Roger Cisneros and his wife Adelia Cisneros were some of the nicest and most down to earth people I have ever met. What a great loss to our community,” Mitch Morrissey, a former district attorney of Colorado, wrote on Facebook.
“Cisneros spent his career serving and working on behalf of the people of Denver and Colorado,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement. “He was a trailblazer who represented our city honorably in the State Senate, as a respected jurist on the Colorado bench, and as a member of numerous community organizations.”
Roger Cisneros was born in Questa, N.M., and served in World War II with the Army Air Corps.
Read: Mom and 1-Year-Old Son Die After Carbon Monoxide Fills Snow-Covered Car
He was elected to the Colorado State Senate in 1964 and served 12 years. He became a judge in 1978 and served in that capacity for eight years.
“Judge Cisneros was a thoughtful and passionate voice for justice and empowerment for those who sought it, especially among Denver’s Latino community,” Hancock said.
Cisneros founded the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA) and throughout his professional life, served on a multitude of civil boards and organizations.
In honor of Judge Cisneros' dedication to the community, a jury room inside the new Denver Justice Center was named after him in 2009, and on his 90th birthday, Gov. John Hicklooper declared Jan. 22, 2014 Roger Cisneros Day.
“Judge Cisneros and Adelia will be greatly missed, and they and their family are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone in our city,” Hancock said.
Watch: Off-Duty Firefighter Saves Restaurant Full of Sick People From Carbon Monoxide
