Ronnie Joe Myatt

Ron Myatt, who rose from an entry-level staff artist at the Fort Worth Press to vice president of circulation and strategic planning at the Rocky Mountain News, died Saturday at the age of 78. Friends remember Myatt as an effective communicator, something they say could be the result of having deaf parents. His mother lost her hearing as an infant after contracting rheumatic fever. His father was the victim of a childhood accident and dubious medical treatment. ""Ron's first language was sign,"" said his wife, Jean. ""He learned the language of the deaf first. His grandparents taught him to speak."" While a student at Texas Christian University, Myatt had designs on being an artist but changed his mind after he started working at the Press in 1956, telling friends, ""I'm learning more about art working at the newspaper than I am at TCU."" Myatt stayed at the Press until it closed in 1975. He moved to the Rocky Mountain News, where he worked until he retired in 1994. Myatt led the paper's circulation department through some of the most heated days of the newspaper war with The Denver Post. Myatt is survived by his wife. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Elizabeth, who passed away in 2013. A memorial service and celebration of Myatt's life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, 10150 E. Belleview Ave. The family requests that memorial gifts be directed to Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church or the Cancer League of Colorado, P.O. Box 5373, Englewood CO 80155-5373, on whose corporate board Myatt served. Please share your memories of Ron by selecting the guestbook link below.