Sally J. Italiano

April 17, 1929 ~ June 29, 2022
On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, Sally Italiano, loving wife, mother of five sons, eleven grandchildren, and
eight great-grandchildren, passed away at the age of 93.
Sarah Jean (Sally) was born on April 17, 1929, in Quincy, MA to Sydney E. and Sarah (Lee) Edward. As an
infant, she moved to Denver, CO with her twin brother, Sydney J., to be raised by her Uncle Andrew and
Aunt Margaret Edward. Upon graduating from West High School in 1947, she held a clerical position at
The Insurance Co. of North America, where she was quite adept at typing and taking shorthand, skills
she acquired in high school. She thoroughly enjoyed this kind of office work. On September 25, 1950,
she married Dean Italiano. They raised five sons, Dean, Lou, Greg, Rich, and Paul. Sally always said
raising her five sons was her greatest accomplishment. In 1974, after her sons were a little older, she
applied for a job at King Soopers and was hired to work in the deli. This was the perfect occupation for
Sally, she got to serve food and work with the public. She stayed there until her retirement in 1991.
Sally enjoyed everything life had to offer. One of her passions was spending time in the kitchen making
Italian meals for family, friends, and the whole neighborhood. Her meatballs were notorious, a recipe
she learned from her mother-in-law, Margaret Italiano. She loved spending time in her garden, tending
to her flowers. A big part of Sally’s life was being a member of the First Universalist Church of Denver.
The welcoming congregation was like a second family to her. She especially liked preparing meals for
their Wednesday Night Dinners and hearing her son, Rich, play the piano for services, as he was also the
music director. She loved music and sang in numerous choirs throughout her life. Highlights included
singing Handel’s Messiah, the Requiem of Johannes Brahms, and attending a performance with her
granddaughter, Mesha, by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. She was also a fan of opera
and ballet, she especially loved sopranos Beverly Sills and Renee Fleming, tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and
dancers Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Sally was an avid reader and book collector, as well.
Some of her favorite authors were Robert Burns, Kahlil Gibran, Thomas Wolfe, Chaim Potok, Virginia
Woolf, Dag Hammarskjöld, Alice Walker, Harper Lee, Truman Capote, and Thich Nhat Hanh. For humor,
she loved Erma Bombeck. Let’s not forget her beloved terrier, Darla, whom she absolutely adored.
Lastly, Scotland: by heritage, Sally’s roots were in the land of castles, kilts, and bagpipes. One of her
most memorable journeys was a pilgrimage to Scotland with her cousin, Joann Goldberg, to visit family
and see the infamous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1978. She said it was breathtaking.
Sally was known for her incredible optimism and love of humankind. She had a gift for making everyone
feel welcome, was a great listener, and often gave sage advice. She also had a serendipitous way of
bringing good fortune to all those around her. She was a real treasure and leaves a wonderful legacy. All
those who knew her loved her very much. She will indeed be missed.
Sally was preceded in death by her husband, Dean, his sister, Irma, her brother, Syd, his wife, Lucy. She
is survived by her five sons and their spouses, Dean (Avis), Lou (Michele), Greg (Loni), Rich (Tom), and
Paul (Pam), eleven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, and
cousins in Colorado, California, Australia, and Scotland.
Private Services will be held.
To many great years you graced us. Thank you for your endless love and patience with us over the years. Your were a wonderful grandmother to our kids, they have so many special memories because of you. Thanks being my Mom. I love you and I will see you in Heaven!
You were a wonderful grandma to us all, I have very fond memories of Friday night meals with whoever showed up from the family.
I remember many times spending the night with my cousins, messing around in your basement, jumping on the tramp and walking to the lake. You loved making us a sandwich or an egg! I love you grandma!
My precious aunt Sally, who had time for everyone. How you made everyone feel special and then of course if our picture was on the fridge we knew we were really something when we made "the fridge".
I'll never forget the special cards and calls to me when I was going through the very difficult time of divorce and single parenting.
How you would make me laugh by sending me 20 bucks and telling me to go get a ice cream cone..(kind of an old Italian family joke).
Oh my gosh how today's people could learn GENUINE customer service & care from you and the legend you left at King Soopers!!
I sure hope you knew you were loved because you certainly made all of us feel loved.
Forever in our hearts.
How well I remember dear Aunt Sally. When I became the publisher and editor of Science of Mind magazine in 2015, we met for lunch. After some wonderful conversation, she pulled a copy of the magazine from 1971 out of her purse. She flipped it over and there was my moms name, JoAnn Goldberg, and address. Aunt Sally wanted me to know that my mom subscribed to the magazine I was now in charge of for decades and I never knew. Thats who she was. And when I became a Unity minister, she sent a beautiful card. May her bright light and love of humanity continue to shine through us all. Godspeed, Aunt Sal. I adore you. Great love, David Goldberg, 720-234-6233, DavidGoldbergCO@gmail.com.
My condolences to the Family of Sally. She was a family friend, Sally and my uncle Bill Trujillo were friends since childhood. She and Dean made the best meatballs Ive ever tasted. May you rest in peace dear Sally.
We members of the Lakeridge Association loved Sally, she joined our book club, and we considered her to be a treasure. She would come to the lake to walk often. We missed her when she moved, and know she lived a precious life. We send best wishes to all the family . Tom and Katie Branch
Sally taught without even trying, to accept everyone into her family and as a result, she passed that onto her children. I have been blessed to be a part of the Itailano Family for many years, not by blood, but by friendship. The feeling of acceptance has been one of my greatest gifts. I am forever grateful for Sally leading by example, passing on the meatball recipe and raising such a loving family.