Nita K. Santorno

Nita Kay Santorno went to heaven on April 30th, 2022. Nita lived how she loved: with a full heart and kindness in her soul; She had a zest for life, a curious wonder and love for her family and was known as a loving Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother and dear friend. To know her was to love her. She believed in our heavenly Father, and we know now she is home.

Nita Kay was born on April 26th, 1943, to Frank and Edna Stanbro in Denver, Colorado. Nita and her older brother, Kirk, grew up in Lakewood, Colorado. They spent a lot of time at the Lakewood Elks Club with their parents, who were active members. Nita’s Father, Frank Stanbro, had a big personality which eventually led him to become the Jefferson County Assessor. Nita’s Mother, Edna, worked with the Jefferson County Courts as a court clerk, acting as the Judge's right-hand-gal.

Nita attended Jefferson High School in Lakewood, CO & graduated in 1961; She was a Saint through and through! For fun, she and her girlfriends, Sandy and Cookie, would cruise 16th Street Mall and eat at all the local hangouts. One fateful night at the Chicken King, she met the love of her life - Carl Santorno, who had just come home from the Navy. It wasn’t long until she fell for the tall, skinny Italian boy (with the most contagious smile) from North Denver. Over the years, Carl & Nita established many friendships that continue to grow to this day – so much so that their

daughters would eventually call these friends “Aunt's and Uncle's” and in turn, Carl and Nita would eventually (and effortlessly) blend into their daughters’ friend groups.

Carl and Nita married in 1964 and shortly after, they welcomed their first daughter, Gia Kay, in 1965 and their second daughter, Dina Ann, in 1969. Although Nita had her hands full in early motherhood, raising two girls, they would end up being her best friends. Following her time staying home to raise her girls, Nita went back to work for the Jefferson County Assessor's Office. In the eighties, following a short break from work to spend time with her girls and Carl, she went back to work at Arvada High School in the TESOL department (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) where her oldest daughter, Gia, was attending. Nita loved teaching and especially enjoyed learning about her students, their life stories & where they came from – she would create such a special bond with her students to the point of even attending weddings and various celebrations beyond the classroom. Nita left Arvada High School in 1984 and returned to the Jefferson County Assessor's office and to no surprise, became fast friends with her colleagues where she was well respected for her work. Nita retired in the late 2000's but returned during tax season for many years to assist her colleagues.

Both of Nita's daughters went on to get married and had big weddings; Gia marrying Todd Sanders 5/20/1989 and Dina marrying Tim Hildreth 9/21/1996, it was obvious she loved her sons-in-law like her own. She was then blessed with 4 Grandchildren. Grandma Nita was so proud of Taylor, Zachary, Zeph and Darbi every day.

Carl and Nita loved to get away when work would allow. Many family trips spent camping all over the Rocky Mountains – Lake Granby in Frank and Edna’s little trailer and Carl’s favorite spot in Wyoming were always a treat to visit. Camping "Down Home" with Nita's other family, the Hansen's, was always a good time. Nita and Carl traveled to Hawaii with the girls to visit Cookie and Dick. Traveling all over the Oahu Island. Sightseeing and boogie boarding in the ocean was such a delight! Nita loved road trips, taking her mother, Edna, her Mother-in-law, Josephine, and the two teenage girls on adventures in the summers, drives to Illinois to visit with cousin Doreen & family, soaks in the glorious hot springs of Glenwood Springs, and that memorable spontaneous trip up the east coast with her cousin Darlene! Carl and Nita took many cruises with their dear friends, they took a paddleboat cruise down the Mississippi River, a cruise to Alaska. Once Nita had grandchildren, an annual tradition formed - Nita, her 2 girls and all 4 grandchildren would take a summer road trip every year to a different place in Colorado. These were such special bonding times for all. Nita loved making trips to watch Zachary play College Baseball in Nebraska, visiting her oldest granddaughter, Taylor, in Wyoming & South Dakota, attending Zeph's basketball and football games and the various weekend getaways for Darbi's karate. Most recently, some of Nita’s most treasured trips consist of: the drive she took with Carl up the coast of Oregon for their Niece’s (Nicole) College Graduation and again for her wedding, as well as attending their Nephew’s (Devon) wedding in Estes Park on 2-2-22 at -2 degrees! Nita's last road trip was to see historical sites in Southern Colorado 8-20 & 21 2021.

In addition to traveling, Nita enjoyed her wine club, reading Stephen King novels, going to music concerts, sporting events, studying history, keeping up with current events and loved ones on Facebook. Nita, Sandy, Cookie, Joyce, Judy along with beloved Friends enjoyed getting together once a month for lunch, bingo, and other day adventures. Nita loved her scrapbook-get-away weekends in the mountains with Gia & Dina and all her other daughters that called her Mom. These trips are too many to count! In her earlier years, she looked forward to bowling league week night out with her girlfriends and belonged to the Elks Lady's, doing various charity work. Nita also helped to organize and attend many class reunions with the Class of 61' Jefferson High School Saints

Nita loved her Broncos and started attending the Denver Broncos games with her daughter, Gia, in 1977 with the 2021 season being her last. Her father, Frank, had bought a season ticket at the inception of the football team and later had 2 more tickets for Nita. Carl and Nita were so excited to attend the Bronco’s first Superbowl in New Orleans (and all losing Bronco's Superbowl's that followed.) Nita passed her love of football and of all sports to her daughters and the 3 girls celebrated the end of every football season with attending Superbowl parties in Las Vegas for 20 years. Nita was a big fan of her Broncos but was knowledgeable in all the major sports beyond football.

Nita is survived by Husband Carl Santorno; her daughters Gia (Todd), Dina (Tim); Her Grandchildren Zachary (Farron) Sanders, Zeph (Haley) Sanders, Taylor Hildreth and Darbi Hildreth; her niece Nicole McGraw (Josh) and nephew Devon Santorno (Kendall); Sister-in-Law Laurie Santorno. Preceded in death by her Brother Kirk Stanbro and Brother-in-law David Santorno