Colfax gathering of the BLTs honors dad, Al Liotta, on 90th

Al Liotta of Colfax celebrated his 90th birthday with an Italian dinner Saturday night at Hill Ray in Colfax. Attending were 14 of his 18 children, now all adults.

The Liotta family, known as the BLTs, is made up of the Byrd, Liotta and Thompson children.

Liotta, who came from the east coast to serve at WSU’s golfing professional, was a bachelor when some of his golfing friends, who were priests, introduced him to Jody Byrd. Mrs. Byrd was a widow with nine children who had moved to Spokane from Martin City, Mont., after her husband, Duane Byrd, died of a heart attach at age 30.

Liotta and Jody Byrd were married in 1965 when he was 44. The Byrd children at that time ranged in age from 2 to 13. The family settled into a house along the South Palouse River road north of Albion, and three children were born to Al and Jody to make a household of 12 children.

In 1978, Jody died of cancer. Before side died, she encouraged Al to re-marry and possibly consider their neighbor and her best friend, Corrine Hofer Thompson. Mrs. Thompson was a widow with six grown children who had been encouraged to move back here from Steubenville, Ohio, by her brother, the late Charles Hofer of Colfax.

When they married in 1981, the three Liotta children were still at home, and were raised to adulthood by Al and Corrine.

The 12 Byrd and Liotta children all graduated from Colfax High School.