Peter Larry Lombardo

WAUSAU, Wis. - Peter Larry Lombardo, 79, passed away on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. Larry's life of dedication to his faith, family, friends and work may be over here on earth, but his love and commitment will live on in those he touched.

Larry was born on Sept. 24, 1941, in Ironwood, Michigan, to the late Peter and Frieda Lombardo. His stories of growing up in Hurley have been heard by many and brought him such pleasure to tell! After graduating in 1959 from J.E. Murphy High School in Hurley, Larry served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1963 aboard the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier and for more than 20 years as the staff sergeant of the 312 Engineering Co. in Hurley.

On April 16, 1966, Larry married Rosalind Gattie (deceased Dec. 5, 1995). They lived and raised their two sons Tim and Scott in Ironwood, where Larry was a foreman at White Pine Copper Mine. During that time Larry was dedicated to his community, serving on the School Board from 1982-1986 and coaching the Polar Bear hockey team in the 1970s and '80s. He received the Man of the Year award for the city of Ironwood.

In 1984, Larry and Rosalind moved to Wausau, Wisconsin, where Larry began a 30-year dedication to his job as supervisor and then project manager for Apogee at its Linetec facility. Many of his closest friends were made there and remained so until the time of his passing.

On May 3, 1997, Larry married Wendy (Gering) West. He was not only one of the most dedicated husbands, but was the most supportive stepdad to Wendy's four children.

Throughout the past 20 years, Larry's commitment to his faith was of upmost importance. He served his Lord through teaching various youth classes at Highland Community and St. Andrew's churches, actively participating in the Gideons, and attending his men's bible study groups. He took great enjoyment in working with Franklin Gering to eventually become the chaplain of the Wisconsin Woodchucks, during which time he had the opportunity to share the Gospel with hundreds of young baseball players. He was awarded the Team Chaplain Appreciation Award on June 23, 2019.

While Larry was dedicated to reaching out to those young ball players, his love of golf from his Tuesday night men's league, to golfing with his family, to his spring trips to Myrtle Beach with his friends brought him such enjoyment as well. He was also a longtime Packer Fan since the 1960s.

Larry will be greatly missed by his survivors including his wife, Wendy; his two sons, Tim (Holly) Lombardo and Scott Lombardo (Donna Heil); his stepchildren, Sarah (Stacey) Barnett, Bekah (Ryan) Kalita, Alex (Jillian) West and Hannah (Bobby) Smith; two brothers, Jim (Jean) Lombardo and Skip (LouAnn) Lombardo; sister-in-law, Beverly Lombardo; grandchildren, Joel (Andrea), Katherine, Abigail, Emily, Drew, Ben, Alex, Aiden, Elizabeth, Adalyn, Owen, Joe, Miles, Jaxon, Jaymus; and one great-grandson, Rocco. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Rosalind; and his brother, Ronald Lombardo. He will also be missed by many other family members, nieces, nephews, friends and his Saturday morning breakfast pals of 23 years, Diane Tollefson and Jim Jerz.

Our family would like to thank Dr. Ivan Schaller, Dr. Marie Tomasi and Dr. Adedayo Onitillo, as well as the caring nurses in the Marshfield Clinic Oncology office for all of their kindness.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration of Larry's life will be postponed until spring to allow for a celebration that is fitting of his life.