Chief Pass was a great mentor and teacher through the Cherry Hills merger and was a guide and guardian as I moved upward in my career.
Gil Lindeman

Danny Passerella, was a well respected fire officer and a mentor to many firefighters and young fire officers.  He held us accountable and lead by example which made every firefighter better.  I look back on our time together with fond memories and a few funny stories.  Miss you Dan.

One of my favorite  Battalion Chiefs to work for!  
 He respected  me as a firefighter and an officer...When you meet someone  on day one, and hit it off...you know it will be good...as we watched each other grow,  he trusted me because we had done so much training together ! Never Micro manged, because he had taught me so many leadership skills....we had mutual respect for each other,  yet he would always let you know if you screwed uo...he demanded alot (earned) and  respected alot....
We had stayed in some contact over the years.....I am so disappointed as I was just thinking about couple days ago, we needed  to do lunch...
Was a true leader at Castlewood and South Metro, pointing it in the direction the department is today! Prayers to family and friends!

Chief Passerella was a mentor to me.  He always paid attention to detail and put safety first.  Yes he was quite the "Firehouse Cook"! (My favorite was Pasta Fasul).   His presence  and calm demeanor on the fire ground was always reassuring in the heat of battle.  He undoubtedly saved many lives, both civilian and crew.  He was a good man.

In just two years at St. Catherine's, a final year at Regis and recent years bumping into him while he rode his bike around our neighborhood, I found Dan to be a down to earth, straightforward and funny guy. He was also one of the best all-around athletes I've ever known.  At 5'7" and 150 lbs., he was one of Regis High's greatest running backs. I'll never forget him motoring to daylight on a wide open field and suddenly turning back inside so he could butt heads with the opposition.
That was Danny, tough. Coach Giarratano pleaded with him to run to the sideline, but...Danny was his own man.

The thoughts and prayers of the Regis Jesuit High School community are with you as you celebrate Danny's life. God rest his soul.

Please accept my condolence's for the loss of Danny.
He was a good friend in high school, where we had many great times.
Some epic weekend  episodes, most of which should not be published.
We all reconnected with Dan over the last several years & I enjoyed our frienship.

Danny was a special friend from St Catherine's through Regis High school. We played hundreds of athletic games over the years. We all have a. lot of great stories and memories  from Rocky Mountain park to the Regis stadium. Danny had the best laugh ever and I will miss him. Glenn Churchill '69


.

This is part 2 of my Dan Passerella memory:
I had mixed together a ziplock bag of fake vomit from the canned goods in the senior smoker. I carefully carried this bag into Fr. Lemkuhl ‘s class and sat down in the desk behind Dan Passerella, 
While Lemkuhl was writing something on the blackboard, I starting coughing loudly….. cough cough cough…. Now I get ready to heave the contents of fake barf all over the maroon linoleum floor.
I make this belching sound and spill out the barf bag…. Splat!
Passerella yells… aw GOD… Sauer puked !  I had wadded up the barf bag, grabbed my belly and ran out of the room. Passerella keeps yelling… aw Jeez, it stinks! It stinks! ( in fact, it didn’t, it was just canned food after all). Now Glen Churchill and Bill Burns start clamoring… we need to have class outside!
Well, that’s what happened. 
I stayed in men’s bathroom for the duration of class.
Lemkuhl, I heard, cleaned up the fake barf.
I thought I got away with this prank, but someone ratted me out. I was sent to Jug and I was also assigned cleaning all the restrooms in the whole school.
But IT WAS WORTH IT!
I’ll miss you, Danny!
Great on the football field! Awesome golfer! A good friend with a unique LAUGH!
John Sauer

Dan was with me in every class for all four years at Regis high school.
Very funny guy!  Two wonderful memories come to mind:
In senior year, I was driving the Littleton car pool group daily with my brother, Tom, the Casinis twin brothers, John Wessling, and Dan Conway. I had a 1959 Rambler, with a push-button automatic transmission.  All 6 of us in the car, we’re driving by the west entrance of the Pink Palace.  I see Danny standing next to the door, and he’s waving me over. I pull up near him and he says, “ hey Sauer…. Lay a patch!” ( rev the engine, throw it into drive, and thus lay rubber on the pavement).
Remember, this is just a basic, 6 cylinder, 4 door Rambler…. Not exactly a hot rod.
Anyway, not to disappoint Dan……I pushed the button to NEUTRAL, reved the engine as high as it could go…. AND THEN….. I pushed the green DRIVE button…..
The car never moved. Instead, the engine broke from its mounts and the spinning fan drilled through the radiator!
In just one moment I had destroyed my transportation, as well as our car pool’s transportation.
Of course, Passerella laughed hysterically!
(His laugh was distinctive: quiet except when needed to take a breath…..eh………ehhh….EHHH)
I had to call our Mom to come up from Littleton to rescue the car pool’s transportation.  This all happened in November, 1968.
Memory #2:
In early September, of 1968, also. Our senior year, there was a canned food drive taking place.  The senior “ smoker” , our lunch room at the south side of second floor cafeteria, was the storage and gathering of dozens of canned goods.  My friend, Jim Callahan thought … “ what if we faked barfing in the classroom…..? Using some of these canned goods for vomit?
GREAT idea!
The next day, I brought plastic food storage bags and a can opener and using cans of cream style corn, Campbells soup, kidney beans, pimentos, smashed up peas, we made a bag of fake vomit.
At this point in the story, I used up my word limit.
To be continued….
..

OBITUARY

Danny Lee Passerella

February 10, 1951 – June 25, 2025

Olinger Funeral, Cremation & Cemetery - Crown Hill

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