The KUVO family is devastated at the sudden, unexpected passing of our community reporter and producer Mindi McNeil. We lost Mindi on Friday, May 1 of complications from asthma. She was 49.

Mindi was not only KUVO’s eyes and ears on the ground, finding out what’s happening on the streets of Denver, around Colorado and throughout the jazz world, but she did the hard work of producing the features and community updates you hear at 8:30 most mornings on KUVO JAZZ. She turned those interviews and other projects into many, many web features at KUVO.org, including “31 Colorado Women in Jazz,” Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Five Points Jazz Festival. She also hosted and produced the monthly Wine and Food Pairings.

Behind the scenes, she was central to the success of every KUVO pledge drive she touched.

While in California, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and sociology (with honors) from California State University – Bakersfield and was a member of the National Communication Honor Society Lambda Pi Eta.

She did stand up-comedy. She auditioned for the World Wrestling Federation as wrestler. She was a world traveler, having been to all 50 states, and was working on the other continents, Canadian provinces and U.S. territories. She could fly to London for $57.00 round trip, and do the entire trip living out of a purse.

Born Mindi Allegra Alexandria Austin McNeil on a Monday in 1970, Mindi will be fondly remembered as a listening ear, a compassionate heart, a dedicated and professional journalist, a woman of faith.