On Thursday, December 19, 2024, David Charles DiRito, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully in his sleep in Boulder, CO. He was seventy-four years old.
Born in Florence, CO on March 22,1950 to Vita and Bennie DiRito, David graduated from The Abbey School in Canon City, CO in 1968. In 1972 he graduated from The University of Colorado in Boulder, CO with a BA in Psychology and shortly after began his career at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital as a Behavior Health Specialist where for 24 years he assisted in developing and administering The Circle Program, a mind, body, and spirit approach to mental health care and addiction, alongside his mentor. From
1985-1989, while working at the hospital full time and providing for a family of three kids, David completed his MA in Psychology. From 1994-2020 he shifted his focus at the hospital and served as Systems and Health Data Analyst for a long and rewarding career spanning nearly 50 years.
David met the love of his life, Vickie in their teens and they were married for fifty-two years. David is survived by their three children James DiRito, Melissa DiRito-Knupfer, and Dara DiRito-Cullen, sons-in-law James Chan, Franz Knupfer, and Matt Cullen, and their two grandchildren, Olive Cullen and Leo Knupfer. David is also survived by his sisters, Pamela (Jack) Laughlin and Vivian (Ken) Jeffcoat.
As a person, David was present in the most meaningful ways—offering love, wisdom, generosity, and unwavering support. His family, friends, and community will always remember him as a source of kindness, encouragement, and a safe haven. He believed deeply in the power of knowledge to foster empathy and understanding, values he passed on to his three children. A life devoted to the study of mental health therapy, he exuded a remarkable ability to make people feel seen and valued.
His fascination with psychology and the human mind guided much of his life’s journey. He enthusiastically favored topics that expanded his understanding of psychology, spirituality and philosophy. A lifelong learner, David was rarely without a book in hand, and he loved spending hours in bookstores.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 28th, 2025, at 10am at St Benedict’s Catholic Church, 622 W 2nd St, Florence, CO 81226 with a reception
to follow. For questions or general information about the memorial service, please contact Dara DiRito-Cullen at (720) 232-6132.
We are forever grateful for the amazing care that David received from both the palliative care team and hospice team at TRU Community Care as he battled Parkinson’s Disease. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to TRU Community Care at www.trucare.org/donate or by mail at 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, CO 80026.
Rest in peace dear Dave.
I was so blessed to have had the chance to meet you, along with my youngest daughter, Stefania, when we came to Colorado for the annual DiRito picnic. You reminded me of my brother, and as we say in Australia, you’re a good bloke!
Your typical DiRito charm, super friendly, gorgeous smile, joyful laughter led us to gravitate towards you in the short time we had in Colorado.
We’ll see you on the other side MATE!
Much love,
Your Aussie cousin,
Anna DiRito Nardone
My Dear cousin 💕 May perpetual Light shine upon you..
The memories we shared..our lives destined to be entwined..our dear Father’s who gave to us the gift of a truly wonderful and blessed family.
I hope you are by their sides and with your beautiful Mother..who I love so much..
My heart is broken that you have moved on from this earthly existence..but I know the Joy you are experiencing with our heavenly Father..
May God bless and keep you by his side always 💕💕💕
Your message is already deeply heartfelt and beautifully written, but I’ll refine it slightly for clarity and flow while preserving your authentic voice:
Dave,
I think you are the sweetest friend I’ve ever met. Your son, James, is one of the best men I’ve ever known. Sometimes, amazing men completely shatter the mold their fathers left them. Often, they cultivate their big hearts, compassion, and empathy in response to the neglect, numbness, or distance of their fathers. But you were so not that. James’ beautiful heart was a reflection of yours. Meeting you made it so clear where his capacity for love, kindness, and joy came from.
And to see your love and joy with Vickie—how astounding. What an incredible model. I’m in my 30th year with my partner, and yours is one of the few straight relationships that has truly inspired and moved me. I want to be like you two—laughing, teasing, eating! Yes.
I trust you are where you need to be now. I can only imagine the sorrow your children and grandchildren feel in your absence. You were such a big presence to lose. I imagine they ache for one more meal, one more hug, one more adventure.
I send all my love to your family. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me and my community. You are an astounding family, and in these chaotic, heartbreaking times, it consoles me to know you are out there.
Our lives have been entwined with David’s since high school.
He was a brilliant, kind, interesting and interested person who loved his family. He loved music and his knowledge of popular music was encyclopedic. He read all the time and a conversation with David was never a struggle. We could always pick up where we left off even if it had been years.
David was constant, calm and comfortable in his own skin. Didn’t hesitate when we asked him to play at our wedding!
So, now it’s farewell dear friend. David is home with his beloved Vicki so we know all is well with him.