John Coit

1948-1986 * Columnist

John Coit charged into town in the early '80s, a flawed man trailing bad marriages and bad habits.

But the Rocky's new columnist arrived with big talent and a big heart. Denver soon loved him.

Coit was the paper's star columnist for a short time, only 21/2 years, yet he managed to tell the stories of a city and its people in a way that deeply touched his readers.

"He seemed able to relate to all of us," the late Rocky editor Ralph Looney wrote.

The end came on Jan. 11, 1986, and it was nearly unbelievable.

Coit was 38 when he died of a heart attack, 11 days after marrying Susan O'Malley in a New Year's Eve ceremony in the lobby of the Rocky.

In this column, written just weeks before his death, Coit confided something that must have reassured his readers. He was happy. Finally.