Maria Edith Freiberg campaigned tirelessly for liberal causes locally, nationally and internationally.

"She stood for the rights of the small individual," said Helen Morris, one of Mrs. Freiberg's closest friends. For such people, "she wanted to see political freedom, social freedom and economic freedom, so she spoke out on issues of that kind."

Mrs. Freiberg was 62 when she died July 22 at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco after a three-month fight against cancer.

Mrs. Freiberg, a native of Argentina, had lived in Denver for nearly 30 years but settled in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 2003, where she found steady work as a courtroom interpreter.

Morris recalled that Mrs. Freiberg became active in social justice primarily because of her parents' experiences in the former Nazi Germany. Her parents were Jewish, and they escaped, relocating to Argentina.

"Her parents escaped, and she grew up with that background of government being repressive," Morris said. "Social justice became an important feature of her life, and she was against repressive forms of government."

Much of Mrs. Freiberg's work on behalf of liberal causes was done through her writings and the publication of her monthly newspaper, Montelibre Monthly, which primarily consisted of news from Latin America. Mrs. Freiberg also wrote a column and translated articles for Denver's bilingual newspaper, El Semanario, for nearly 15 years.

Even though she had relocated to Northern California, Mrs. Freiberg continued to circulate her newspaper in Denver. She published her last edition in July.

Mrs. Freiberg sometimes used Montelibre as her surname. Montelibre means "free mountain" in Spanish, and Freiberg means "free mountain" in German.

"Montelibre Monthly was international and political news that we don't get in our mainstream press," said Marilyn Megenity, another of Mrs. Freiberg's close friends in Denver.

Mrs. Freiberg was a civil rights activist on many liberal fronts. She campaigned for the rights of women and animals as well as for the environment and health care.

"She was for the rights of all living things," Megenity, owner of the Mercury Cafe in downtown Denver, said.

Mrs. Freiberg also appeared at protests and demonstrations, speaking out against what she felt were injustices to the disadvantaged.

Because of her activism, Mrs. Freiberg would learn she was monitored by the Denver Police Department as part of its "spy files," Morris said.

On the international front, Mrs. Freiberg pushed for the lifting of the United States' economic and travel blockade of Cuba.

"She thought it was harmful to Cubans, and it caused economic hardship for them," said Morris, who acknowledged that while the two were friends they sometimes disagreed with each other's political beliefs.

During the past two presidential elections Mrs. Freiberg campaigned relentlessly for the Democratic Party.

"She really wore herself out working for John Kerry and Al Gore," Megenity recalled. "She was mad at anybody working for Ralph Nader when Al Gore was running."

Mrs. Freiberg was born on July 28, 1942, in Resistencia, Argentina. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Buenos Aires in 1963.

After graduating, Mrs. Freiberg accompanied her first husband to the United States to find work, though they occasionally returned to Argentina. Ultimately the couple settled in Michigan. In 1973, she earned her master's degree in psychology from the University of Detroit.

She eventually relocated to Denver, started Montelibre Monthly and worked as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking defendants.

Mrs. Freiberg is survived by her mother, Aida of California; her son, Daniel of Michigan; her brother, Edward of California; and three grandchildren. She also is survived by two other sons. Morris said that although she was close to them, they asked that their names not be listed. She was preceded in death by her father, Marcos.

A celebration of her life will be Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Disarm Education Fund or LiveStrong Foundation.