Patty Romeo grew up outside of St. Louis, but she fell in love with the West after a summer experience in Colorado. Patty’s family lived in Centralia, Ill., one of those small towns where everyone knew everyone.  She rode her bike all over town, visited with friends, studied piano and was active in her local church.  Patty remembers family gatherings year-round and summers spent with her maternal grandparents on their farm.  The whole family was very involved in church activities.  When she was 12, Patty was baptized in the creek outside the church.

Patty received a scholarship to a women’s college in Illinois.  After her freshman year, Patty went to work in a summer camp outside of Colorado Springs. There, she discovered the dry Colorado air improved her chronic asthma, her stamina and her activities. She transferred to the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she majored in music education.  After graduation, Patty moved to Portland, Ore., to teach 6^th grade and music. She flew home for Christmas vacation and realized that she might like the job of a stewardess better than teaching headstrong elementary students. Patty landed a job with United Airlines and started the next summer flying out of Los Angeles. 

In her first month flying, a captain introduced her to his co-pilot, Tony Romeo. Tony had been a Navy pilot during WWII and, when the airline industry began to boom, United lured him away from a music career.  Tony had grown up in Denver and played violin with the Denver Symphony Orchestra; all 13 of his siblings also were musicians. Patty and Tony married a year later and have been for 67 years.  During Tony’s career with United, the Romeos moved 11 times; they had 3 daughters and a son.

After retirement, Patty and Tony opened a Bed and Breakfast in Ashland, Ore.  Ashland is an acclaimed center for Shakespearean productions. What good fortune that Patty and Tony could name their B&B “Romeo Inn.” They ran the B&B for five years with Patty doing all the cooking, Tony maintaining the inn and gardens and both Romeos attending to the guests.  Thanks to the Romeos’ warm hospitality, the inn attracted bookings 12 months in advance, with guests returning multiple summers. On the side, Patty offered small cooking classes to Ashland visitors and locals, and she wrote a cookbook.  No doubt she and Tony could have written a book about their experiences. You’ll have to ask them about the memorable summer when a guest’s car was accidentally driven into the house.

During the off-season, Patty and Tony traveled from November to March.  They have cycled in countless countries around the world and the States and seen spectacular places that could fill the pages of travel books.

After selling the Inn, the Romeos stayed in Ashland for 18 more years—travelling extensively, and volunteering many hours daily for both the Shakespeare Festival and the Ashland Police Department. Patty also spent six years as a board member with the Shakespeare Co.  One of her favorite fellow board members was Bill Gates Sr.

In 2003 the Romeos moved to Denver to be near their daughters and grandchildren.  They settled in Lowry.  Over the years they became involved in the Montview community: the choir, music programs, Deacon outreach, knitting groups and fellowship groups.   Both Patty and Tony had been raised in church communities, and they value the friendships that developed through service and activities.  They found all of those important qualities in the Montview community.

About 1 ½ years ago, Patty and Tony moved to Park Place, where they have enjoyed a friendly community, thoughtful staff, wide range of activities and proximity to their children has been a pleasure. While their personal routines have been disrupted by the coronavirus, Patty and Tony feel well cared for by the staff. The Internet has enabled them to stay in touch with their children and Montview’s knitters and to follow the Montview Sunday Service. They say they still feel connected to others despite limited face-to-face contact.

Patty shared that she never would have predicted how a summer job at Mrs. Palmer’s Summer Camp in Colorado Springs would have changed her life: graduating from CU; becoming a stewardess, meeting Tony Romeo, owning a B&B and enjoying an active life in Denver.

 – Submitted by Brooke Durland