Charles 'Charley' Lancioni

SILVER CITY, Mich. - Charles "Charley" Lancioni, 64, of Silver City passed away peacefully at home on Sept. 6, 2014, surrounded by friends and family after a very brave eight-month battle with cancer.

He was born in Grand Rapids on June 20, 1950, to Wilma and Diore Lancioni.

He met his wife Tammy in 1990, and they married on July 6, 1996.

Charley was truly a renaissance man, having held a variety of jobs during his lifetime ranging from being a welder, a tree planter, a musician (pianist), a mental health worker and a builder of houses. These made it possible for him to do the things he truly cared about: spending time with family and friends, enjoying the outdoors and traveling. His route through life included taking classes at Northern Michigan University, spending time on the islands of the Pacific, exploring the backcountry and mountaintops of the Rockies and traveling in Central and South America.

Charley loved to be home and he was enthralled by all the seasons and moods of Lake Superior. He was a collector of rocks and driftwood and used these to landscape around his home. His creations were imaginative and most were functional, while some were purely whimsically delightful. His friends and family, both young and old, brought him their beach combing treasures, providing a tangible connection between themselves, the natural world and his home. In recent years, he and Tammy enjoyed hiking many of the trails in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, a place that in so many ways was an extension of their home.

He was a wonderful cook and he loved to feed a houseful of friends and family. He had the unique gift of planning and preparing big meals collaboratively, and was renowned within his circle for several dishes; among these his highly sought after spaghetti sauce.

Charley held animals in high esteem and shared deep bonds with his pets. A common sight for friends passing by the house was to see Charley and Molly, their golden retrievers, puttering in the yard or cruising in the pickup truck.

In recent years, he and Tammy enjoyed several vacations in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru where he enjoyed, close-up, studying the intricate stonework of ancient ruins. Happily, on one of these trips he was able to accompany Tammy in fulfilling her lifelong dream as they trekked, with a small group of close friends for the better part of a week, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The route was daunting, requiring an ascent to nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, and it was quite an accomplishment.

It is difficult to think of Charley without also thinking of rock and roll. Many folks saw a resemblance to Mick Jagger or Greg Allman. He could sing the lyrics of every song performed by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and many other recording groups of the 60's and 70's. His laugh was contagious and his sense of humor sarcastic in a very genuine and friendly way. Charley had a wide and diverse group of friends in the Ontonagon area that will miss him greatly.

Charley is survived by his wife, Tammy; brothers, James (Susan Ogden) and David (Candy) Lancioni; sisters, Ruth (Jeff) Carlson and Mary (Bryan) Rose; a daughter Amanita (Rob) Fahrni; granddaughter, Keana; mother-in-law, Victoria Lukkarinen; and brother-and sister-in-law, Errol and Jennie Lukkarinen; and many nieces and nephews.

There will be a visitation on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 4-6 p.m. at the Cane Funeral Home in Ontonagon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charley's memory to the Ontonagon County Animal Protection (PO Box 315), Ontonagon County Cancer Association (PO Box 282) or Friends of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (PO Box 221), all of Ontonagon, MI 49953.