Cathy Jean Amenta

Cathy Jean Amenta (née Cox), age 54, of Salida, Co, passed peacefully at home on Monday May 17, 2021. She fought a very long and valiant battle against Ovarian cancer. Her ever cheerful strength and courage were inspiring gifts that she gave selflessly to her friends and family. Cathy was a very well loved and respected member of the Salida community. She owned and operated Amenta Massage and Bodyworks in downtown Salida and later she devoted her time and talents to the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center where she gave therapeutic massage to the oncology patients receiving treatment there. Cathy was born in Englewood, Colorado, and was raised in Littleton, Colorado. After the family moved to Bailey, Colorado, she graduated from Platte Canyon high school where she excelled in track and field and won the state championship for the 100-meter hurdle. She also attended Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. She was an avid sportswoman and athlete, skier, and mountain biker. She loved to walk and hike, and was a champion telemark skier. Her love of nature was unbounded as was her love of animals. She was also a gifted artist, a great cook and could play a good game of pinochle and poker. Gardening was a passion. Cathy was preceded in death by her parents Martin and Jean Cox. She is survived by her brother Jack Cox of Golden, Colorado, her sister Connie Ahern of Bailey, Colorado, her brother Jimmy Cox of Denver, Colorado and her most beloved and devoted partner, Bill Dobson of Buena Vista, Colorado with whom she took much delight in fly fishing and rafting on the Arkansas river. The community will miss her generous spirit and her beautiful smile. She was very much loved by so many and we all feel privileged to have had her presence in our lives. We have all been changed by what she has taught us. Cathy was very much about giving, and even in death she continued that trait by donating her body to science in order to help others to learn and, hopefully, one day cure cancer and other diseases. A Celebration of Life and bench dedication ceremony at Riverside Park in Salida will be announced sometime in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance (COCA) https://www.colo-ovariancancer.org/ and/or the Ark-Valley Humane Society https://www.ark-valley.org/donate/

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