PATRICIA CIAMETTI, 72
Dog grooming business owner, Burbank. Died March 25.
Patricia Ciametti’s pet grooming business in Palos Hills was known as a place where even incorrigible animals could come for a beauty treatment. It didn’t matter how rambunctious they had been at other shops.
“There were dogs nobody could get near, she’d start working with them and all of a sudden they were happy and calm,” recalled her friend Denise Urquijo. “She had this magical way of taking care of dogs and cats. She was just amazing.”
Ciametti, of Burbank, died early March 25 at Advocate Christ Medical Center of coronavirus-related causes, according to her family. She was 72.
Her daughter Mary Jones said after Ciametti fell ill, she was told by a doctor and a staffer at the state’s COVID-19 hotline that her symptoms didn’t sound like coronavirus. She didn’t receive a test until after she went to the hospital in respiratory distress, dying a few hours later, Jones said.
“I’m very upset,” Jones said. “If she had gotten tested in time, they might have been able to save her.”
Jones remembered her mother as an animal fanatic who invested her passion into her grooming business, Sit ‘n’ Pretty. That’s where she met Urquijo, who has her own business making dog biscuits. The two became fast friends, forming a sister-like bond.
“Pat was a very kind and loving person,” Urquijo said. “She treated everyone with respect. You couldn’t help but like her. When you met her, it was like knowing her forever.”
Her co-worker Char Oliver remembered Ciametti as a hard worker who put her family first, and as someone whose skills elicited deep loyalty in her clients.
“She would have people come in from other establishments that couldn’t (handle) their dogs,” she said. “A lot of these dogs had problems, but she got them done. For that her clients were absolutely grateful.”
Aside from Jones, Ciametti is survived by her son Michael and daughter, Vanessa; and grandchildren Cheyenne, Christopher, Steven and Paulie.