Peter Cattelino

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Peter Cattelino, 100, a resident of The Bluffs Senior Living Community of Houghton, Mich., passed away peacefully on Jan. 3, 2018, at U.P. Health System-Portage Hospital in Hancock.

He was born on Dec. 20, 1917, in Gile, Wis., the son of Italian immigrants Giuseppe Cattelino and Maria Bernarda Gallo. He attended school in Montreal, Wis., until the eighth grade while helping his widowed mother and five siblings with the family farm.

Pete joined the Civilian Conservation Corps when he was 18. He then joined the Army, serving in the infantry during World War II in the Aleutian Islands and earned the rank of Master Sergeant. For his service, Pete was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and Bronze Star.

Following military service, Pete moved to Kingsford, and worked as a maintenance man for Standard Oil Company and retired after 30 years. On Feb. 3, 1951, he married Ardith Ada Miller and they raised two sons. After retirement, they moved to the Bluffs Senior Living Community in Houghton in 2007 to live near their son and grandchildren. Pete was active in his community and joined the Dickinson County Kiwanis Golden K Club and volunteered for many activities.

He was a passionate outdoorsman, loving to hunt, make venison Italian sausage, canoe, go camping and accompany his wife birdwatching. Pete loved gardening and his green thumb produced many big and tasty tomatoes. He was an exceptional athlete and exceled at baseball, trying out for the Minor Leagues at the time he entered military service. He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan and never missed watching a game on Sunday afternoons. But most important was his love for his grandchildren, attending their sporting events, and spending time with them.

Pete was always the most cheerful and funny guy in the room and will truly be missed. His favorite songs were the "Beer Barrel Polka" and "You Are My Sunshine," which he loved to sing. He is well known for his jokes and one-liners, including, "Go right and you won't go wrong," and, "The sun shines on the roof, but the moonshine's in the basement."

Pete was preceded in death by his parents and five siblings, Bartolomeo Cattelino, John Cattelino, Katherine Gotta, Dominic Cattelino and Joseph Cattelino.

Pete is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Ardith, and two sons, Peter John (Sue) Cattelino, of Houghton, and Mark Cattelino, of Vancouver, Wash .; Ardith's daughter, Diane Morello, of South Daytona, Fla .; four grandchildren, Angela (Jeff) Pruetz, of Clarkston, Patrick (Chelsea) Cattelino, of Columbia Falls, Mont., Tyler (Nicole) Cattelino, of Howell, and Jason (Taina) Cattelino, of Columbia Falls, Mont. He is also survived by eight great grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date and burial will be at the Greenwood Cemetery in Upson, Wis.

The family would like to thank the staff of the following for their kind, tender, and professional care: The Bluffs Senior Living Community, Portage Health System Home Health/Services, and U.P. Heath System-Portage Hospital.

The O'Neill-Dennis Funeral Home, Hancock, is assisting the family.