Colosimo, renowned sausage maker, dies

Salt Lake Tribune, The (UT)

Date: January 19, 2005
Section: Utah
Edition: Final
Page: B5

Kathy Stephenson The Salt Lake Tribune

Gabriel "Gale" Angelo Colosimo, a longtime independent grocer who helped introduce generations of Utahns to his family's sweet Italian sausage, died Monday of heart problems. He was 78. Colosimo, a lifelong resident of Magna, opened Colosimo's Standard Market with his brother Ernie in 1947. The market, which moved to its current location at 9009 S. 2700 West in 1956, has been a landmark of the Magna community ever since.

The oldest of four children, Colosimo likely was preordained to work in the grocery business. He was born Sept. 24, 1926, in the apartment above the Rome Grocery, which his Italian-immigrant parents, Ralph and Rose, owned.

Colosimo graduated from Cyprus High School in 1944 and served one year in the U.S. Army. He worked for a time at Utah Copper (now Kennecott) before joining his brother in business.

He married Ida Concettina (Connie) Disera in October 1951. He is survived by his wife, their eight children and 20 grandchildren, a brother and two sisters.

Ernie Colosimo said he and his brother never set out to be sausage makers, but the Italian recipe, which their father brought from Calabria, was extremely popular with customers. As the supermarket business evolved from small independent owners to large, national chains, the brothers realized that sausage could be the niche that kept them profitable.

As their sausage business grew, the brothers developed and patented a special device, called the Colosimo Press, that cut production times drastically and has been marketed nationally and abroad.

On Tuesday, Paul Colosimo said his father was always "tinkering" in the butcher shop, trying to come up with different sausage flavors. He developed a bratwurst to satisfy his German customers and a chorizo for his Latino friends. Customers came not just for the links, but because the Colosimo family made them feel welcome.

"My dad had this incredible gift with people," said Paul Colosimo.

Before his death, Gale Colosimo developed some 35 sausage varieties that will continue to be sold at the Magna market as well as a new Sandy store, operated by his three sons.

While others considered him a successful businessman, Gale Colosimo never thought of himself in those terms. He was a devoted member of the Roman Catholic Church and an accomplished accordion player.

"He loved a good story and a good joke," said Paul Colosimo.

Colosimo's funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. at The Cathedral of the Madeleine, 331 E. South Temple in Salt Lake City.

(c) 2005 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.

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