BREAKING NEWS

Local Rotarians were saddened to hear that long time Rotarian "Pete" Pietri passed away on June 5, 2009, one day short of his 79th birthday. Pete was a frequent visitor to the CLK Rotary Club and everyone enjoyed his visits. The following obituary appeared in the Daily Mining Gazette yesterday. He will be missed by all Rotarians but especially by the Houghton Rotary Club where he was a member.

Raoul “Pete” Pietri

"Pete" Pietri passed away on Friday, June 5, 2009.

He was born in New York City on June 6, 1930, to Dr. Roul and Ninina Pietri and raised in New Jersey.

After graduating from the Hill School, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for two years before enrolling at the University of Virginia where he received his bachelor's degree in economics.

Pete worked briefly for Bamburgers, then began a career in the energy utility field in Monroe, Mich. After a tour at Blackstone Valley in Rhode Island, he came to Houghton as assistant treasurer for Upper Peninsula Power Co. He retired from UPPCO as internal auditor in 1992 to become chief of finance for the Country Village Corp. in Copper Harbor.

Pete married Barbara Foley of Copper Harbor in 1982 and they combined their family of six children, Joy Pietri (Scot Varvel) of Kingman, Ariz., Raoul Pietri, Jr. of Frisco, Colo., Willis Pietri (Susan) of Cape Coral, Fla., Dana Wiesner (Kenneth) of Whitelake, Mich., Gena Doyle (the late Mike Giacoletto) of Mohawk, and Kathleen DeMarois (Robert) of Ahmeek. Pete also leaves a sister, Carmen Nelson (Lloyd) of Allenhurst, N.J.; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was the proud grandfather of Samantha Pietri, Justin Dudenas (Ashley), Joshua and Kayla DeMarois, , Jennifer and Emily Wiesner and Megan Giacoletto; as well as a dear great-granddaughter, Madelyn Dudenas. Further survived by his sisters-in-law, Nancy (Fred) Thacker, Mary Jo (Tom) Beveridge and Regina (Peter) Bidstrup.

Pete felt a strong commitment to the Greater Keweenaw community, serving as a trustee or treasurer for Copper Country United Way, Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home, the Calumet Theater, Superior Revolving Loan Fund, Keweenaw County Planning Board, Grant Township Utility Board and Houghton Rotary where he helped to organize Seafood-Bridgefest. He was Commodore of the reorganized Onigaming Yacht Club and a cooking volunteer at holidays for Little Brothers/Friends of the Elderly.

Pete will be remembered for his kind heart, sense of humor, fair play and energetic contributions to his professional and community endeavors.

A celebration of his life will be held in July and announced at a later date.

Donations in Pete's name may be made to Copper Country United Way, the Gundlach Shelter Home, Little Brothers, or the Copper Harbor Improvement Association Trails Fund.