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HOUGHTON, MI – Peter Cattelino, 100, a resident of The Bluffs Senior Living Community of Houghton, MI passed away peacefully on January 3, 2018 at UP Health System-Portage Hospital in Hancock, MI.
He was born on December 20, 1917 in Gile, WI the son of Italian immigrants, Giuseppe Cattelino and Maria Bernarda Gallo. He attended school in Montreal, WI until the 8th 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, MI and worked as a maintenance man for Standard Oil Co. and retired after 30 years. On February, 3, 1951 he married Ardith Ada Miller and raised two sons. After retirement, they moved to the Bluffs Senior Living Community in Houghton, MI 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 excelled 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, MI and Mark Cattelino of Vancouver, WA; Ardith’s daughter, Diane Morello of South Daytona, FL; four grandchildren, Angela (Jeff) Pruetz of Clarkston, MI, Patrick (Chelsea) Cattelino of Columbia Falls, MT, Tyler (Nicole) Cattelino of Howell, MI, and Jason (Taina) Cattelino of Columbia Falls, MT. 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, WI.
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 UP Heath System-Portage Hospital.
The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home, Hancock, MI is assisting the family.
