Denver has been losing its red-sauce joints...and their owners. Ron Cito passed away on February 11 at the age of 81; he and his wife, Kim DeLancey, had sold Patsy's Inn, at 3651 Navajo Street, in August. Cito was born and raised in north Denver's little Italy, went to Cathedral High School and Trinidad State College.

Although he tried out for the Denver Broncos, he wound up following in his father's footsteps, working as an electrician for over fifty years and eventually retiring from Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. But he didn't retire entirely: Ten years ago, he and his wife bought back the family restaurant that his great-aunt and uncle, Maggie Tolve Aiello and Michael Aiello, had started in 1921 – making it the oldest restaurant in Denver.