Rodney Peter Colato

1947-2017

On Friday, June 23, 2017 Rodney Peter Colato passed away peacefully at the age of 69. In his final moments, he was surrounded by his immediate family retelling the stories of his life and the memories we hold dearest. Rod was born in Montreal, Canada on October 2, 1947. He grew up in Sunland-Tujunga, CA and graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in 1965.

He spent his entire professional career working for Orfila Sales Company. He began 1967 and retired in 2000 as the Operations Manager. He was very well respected in the business community and created a lasting impression on everyone he came in contact with. He was an avid duck hunter and fisherman. His love of the outdoors was passed onto his children, grandchildren and friends. His work was important to him but his real passion was his family and working with youth ministry, specifically High School Students.

Rod, and his wife Kit, affectionately called Mr. and Mrs. C, were involved in Campus After Dark, Campus After Noon, Young Life and U-turn in the Santa Clarita Valley beginning in the early 1980’s. They attended The Sanctuary for 24 years where they ministered to hundreds of young adults during the last 3 decades. Their goal was to provide unique opportunities to High School Students. Whether it was snowmobiling in Lake Tahoe, house boating on the Delta or waterskiing on the Colorado River, his earnest desire was to be an example of what a godly, family man looked like. He had a willingness to step into situations when others would not. He was generous with his time, money, energy and love. His goal was to show God’s grace to everyone he came into contact with.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Kathleen “Kit” Colato; his brother, Brian (Helen) Colato of Fort Bragg, CA; his 3 children: Peter (Theresa), Sandi (Will) and Scott (Ali); his 4 grandchildren: Andrew, Joshua, Jared and Jake; his nieces Dina (Dan) Colato Borg and Michelle (Nick) Colato Monaco and nephews Alec, Brendan, Daniel and Dominic. He was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Bunny Colato and his sister Cassandra.

“It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that we reflect upon his life. We are sad that he is no longer with us. We will not struggle to follow his trail in a blinding snowstorm. We will not hear him ask what ‘ The plan is.’ We will never again see his smiling face behind the steering wheel of a boat patiently teaching someone how to waterski. However, it is with joy that we were able to tell him that there is smooth water ahead and to ‘Hit It!’ ”

The Signal, July 1, 2017 Sign the Legacy online guestbook at www.signalscv.com