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MILLCREEK — Salt Lake County Councilman Sam Granato, a longtime deli owner and Democrat, died Wednesday following a battle with cancer, his family said. He was 67.
Granato, a councilman of five years, passed away at his home in Millcreek, surrounded by family.
In the hours following his death, friends and colleagues recalled him as a courteous, civic-minded jokester who made those around him feel at home.
"Sam was a legend in this community," said his senior policy adviser, Leslie Reberg. "What epitomizes him is that he'd always say to people, 'How can I help you?'"
He asked the question of constituents and to patrons at his restaurants while he cleared their tables, she said.
Granato had battled a sarcoma for more than two years, Reberg said. The rare form of cancer targets connective tissue.
"He was a fighter, but he was tender-hearted and kind, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for someone else," Reberg said. She said that spirit transcended political divisions.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, agreed.
"Sam represented a better era in politics, when we focused on where we agree more than where we disagree, and our relationship was proof that there is so often more that unites than divides us," Hatch said in a statement, adding he has fond memories of spending time with Granato and eating sandwiches at his deli.
Granato inherited a chain of Italian delis and a food import business named for his father, supplying several Utah restaurants.
"It didn't matter who walked into his deli, whether it was President (Thomas) Monson or a homeless person. He treated them the same," recalled Dale Cox, a Murray city councilman and the retired president of Utah's AFL-CIO labor union.
Cox said Granato met with operating engineers in 2010, when he was running for U.S. Senate, telling them, "I appreciate your endorsement, but the only thing you're going to get from me is good government."
Sam was a legend in this community. What epitomizes him is that he'd always say to people, 'How can I help you?'
–Leslie Reberg, Sam Granato's senior policy adviser
The Senate seat ultimately went to Republican Sen. Mike Lee, who on Wednesday called his former opponent "a pillar in the Salt Lake community" and said he was lucky to interact with Granato during the Senate race.
Granato also was a jokester, Cox said.
On a late-night drive that the two took from St. George to Salt Lake City during his Senate run, Granato complained that President Barack Obama wasn't helping him advance in the race.
"I said, 'Let's call him,'" Cox recalled. "So we did. We called the White House at 11 o'clock." Operator 17 picked up the phone, and was put off by Granato at first but could be heard laughing by the end of the conversation, Cox said.
"He was just spontaneous."
Cox said his friend's commitment to hospitality was on display Tuesday night as he dipped in and out of consciousness.
"He opened his eyes and looked at me and said, 'I want to apologize. I keep falling asleep on you.' That's just the kind of guy he is," Cox said.
Other county leaders chimed in with fond memories Wednesday.
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams recalled that Granato gave his son Isaac behind-the-scenes tours and a bucket of pickles when he visited the restaurant. The boy explained to whomever he shared his haul of pickles with "that his friend Sam Granato gave the pickles to Isaac because he’s his favorite. Sam’s heart was always big. Bigger even than those buckets of pickles," McAdams wrote on Facebook.
Granato's colleagues on the council said "Sam was a true friend to all of us," and in a statement praised "his kindness and the thoughtfulness he brought to his life of public service."
I will always remember his genuine kindness, friendship and ability to make you the center of attention in his presence.
–Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill
And any public servant working in Granato's county "likely spent time at Granato’s eating great food and learning from Sam — a man who could connect with people better than anyone," Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said in a statement.
"It was hard not to love that guy," added Utah Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, on Twitter.
The Utah Democratic Party agreed, noting: "Sam was a bridge-builder in a world of political islands."
"Sam was an exceptional person, devoted family man and principled public servant," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "I will always remember his genuine kindness, friendship and ability to make you the center of attention in his presence."
Details on a planned May 5 funeral service are expected to be announced in the coming days.
