Anthony Fred “Tony” Palato was born in Aurora, Colorado, to Pamela and Fred Palato, on February 21, 1966. He was the oldest of four children. Per Tony’s mom, “Tony knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a firefighter and set out to do just that after he graduated from high school.”

He received his fire science degree from Red Rocks Community College in 1987, as well as his EMT-P. As he worked towards securing a career in the fire service, he worked as a paramedic for several private ambulance companies.

Tony was hired by Sheridan Fire Department in 1997 and later joined the Cunningham Fire Protection District in 2000. In 2018, Cunningham unified with South Metro Fire Rescue, where Tony worked until he medically retired on March 1, 2021.

As a paramedic/firefighter for 24 years, there is no doubt that Tony touched many lives and will be remembered as a kind, caring, and compassionate person with a true servant’s heart. He will be greatly missed.

Tony was a family man through and through, leaving behind his wife of 23 years, Megan Palato, and his two daughters, Autumn and Isabella. In a beautiful dedication to her dad, Isabella wrote, “You had to know my dad in order to understand who he was and why he was so important to this world. My dad never shamed a person for their mistakes but rather allowed one to improve and learn from their experience. He truly was the best dad, best friend, and teammate I could have ever asked for.”