DENVER — For more than three decades, Joe and Kaye Cannata have dedicated their lives to supporting victims of violent crime and their families. Now, the couple needs help from the very community they have served.
Their grandson, Matt Cannata, said Kaye fell ill late last year and was later diagnosed with sepsis. Just weeks after she returned home from the hospital, Joe began experiencing medical issues.
“He wound up suffering a few different strokes,” Matt said. “He started going through a few fainting episodes.”
Joe, who has long been a pillar of support for victims and their families, is now in a rehabilitation facility, relearning how to walk and talk. Kaye, meanwhile, requires 24-hour home care.
The Cannatas’ advocacy work began in 1987 after their pregnant daughter, Lynn Cannata, was murdered by her boyfriend. They founded the nonprofit Voices of Victims to help others navigate the criminal justice system, offering legal education, meals, and transportation to court hearings.
Jennifer Mikelson
Matt, whose mother was killed when he was just two years old, said his grandparents raised him and dedicated their lives to ensuring other families didn’t have to go through their grief alone.
“They started changing laws,” he said. “One of their proudest moments was in 2004 when they helped pass Lynn’s Law, which required violent offenders to serve at least 75% of their sentence before being eligible for parole.”
Among the many people they helped was Arapahoe County Commissioner Rhonda Fields, whose son, Javad Marshall Fields, and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, were murdered in 2005.
Rhonda Fields
“Joe Cannata showed up at every single court hearing,” Fields said. “He sat beside me. He was like my guardian.”
Fields said Joe’s advocacy helped secure victims’ rights that didn’t exist when his daughter was killed, including the right to be in the courtroom and testify.
“He had survived the murder of his daughter, and he gave me hope,” Fields said. “His work has made a tremendous difference.”
Now, the Cannatas’ supporters are urging the community to rally around them as they face rising medical expenses. Their family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs of care and rehabilitation.
Jennifer Mikelson co-parents with Matt Cannata. She said the Cannatas have given everything to others in their darkest moments.
“They’re there for the hardest times, for the worst-case situations,” Mikelson said. “I know how hard it is to ask for help, but right now, more than ever, we have to focus on our community and the people close to us.”
The family hopes that the same generosity that Joe and Kaye have shown to others will now be returned to them.
