Elio Argentati

Elio Argentati, age 89, of Iron River, MI, peacefully passed away on Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at the Aspirus Hospital, Iron River, surrounded by his loving family.   He was born March 27, 1928, in Iron Mountain, MI, the son of the late Gregorio and Stella (Cacciani) Argentati. He attended and graduated from Iron River High School with the Class of 1946. He then went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree as an Electrical Engineer in 1950 from the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (Michigan Tech), after which he fashioned a notable career. While at Tech, he was a member of the Rifle Team, the Varsity Club, and the Air Force ROTC program. He served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force as an Officer of the 374th Maintenance Squadron in the Korean War from 1950-1953, earning the United Nations Service Medal, Korea Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Commendation Ribbon. In 2014, Elio went on the “Never Forgotten Honor Flight,” a trip of a lifetime for him.   On August 20, 1955, Elio married Nelda Mongiat at St. Cecilia Parish in Caspian. The couple recently celebrated their 62nd anniversary this year. After his military service, Elio worked at his family business, Loia and Argentati Oil Company, for three years. He then joined the Erie Mining Company in Minnesota.  In 1960, he signed on at UPPCO as an applications engineer and spent the rest of his career with that utility.  He steadily rose through the company’s ranks, serving as Division Manager in Escanaba, Superintendent of Operations, General Superintendent, Vice President of Operations, President, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in the Corporate Office in Houghton, retiring in 1994. Often referring to himself as a working man’s man, he took pride in getting to personally know his employee’s family members. Elio was a dutiful leader in civic service with the Salvation Army, Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis Clubs and member of the VFW. He was a director of the Merchants and Miners Bank of Calumet and a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, plus served as the vice president of the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce.  While living in Iron River, Elio was active in the West Iron School District Foundation. At Michigan Tech, he was active in the Alumni Association, a member of the Golden M Club, and was a leader in the University’s fundraising initiatives. In 2012, Elio received the distinguished Board of Control Silver Medal presented by Michigan Tech. Serving as a guest speaker for several years at Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau, Wisconsin. Elio shared his experiences in the Korean War with the students in his daughter’s classroom and gave presentations to science classes on renewable energy sources. Elio had a wide variety interests and hobbies.  Always living near lakes, Elio enjoyed boating, water skiing, and scuba diving.  He also spent time outdoors, snowmobiling and motorcycling with friends. Talented on many avenues, Elio enjoyed classic car restoration, was a gunsmith as well as a collector, and a gourmet cook.  Interested in photography, he created a darkroom and developed his own pictures. He loved spending time at his camp in Gibbs City with friends and was an avid hunter and fly fisherman. Known as a local historian and storyteller, Elio was a voracious reader of local history books. Honoring his Italian heritage was important to share with family and friends, and he was an active member of the Italian Men’s Club in Wausau. Elio spent many memorable family vacations at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island and took several trips to see his family and relatives in Italy. Elio is survived by his loving wife, Nelda; a son, Dan (Kimberly) of South Lyon, Michigan, and grandchildren Laura, Ella, and two step-grandsons Matthew and Brendan; daughter Lori (Kevin) Grundy of Wausau, Wisconsin, and grandchildren Gregorio, Patrick, and Marisa. He is also survived by his sister Dolores Lindstrom of Lansing, Michigan, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Lillian and Andrew Busakowski of Gaastra, Michigan, and sister-in-law, Cathryn Mongiat of Davenport, Iowa. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his in-laws, and brothers-in-law Larry Lindstrom and Raino Mongiat. A man of many accomplishments who was treasured and remembered by all, Elio left an unwavering legacy of love for family and friends. The family would like to thank the Iron River Care Center and Aspirus Hospital for providing the utmost care to Elio during his time of need.   Visitation will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2017, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Jacobs Funeral Home of Iron River. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church with Rev. Gregory Veneklase to offer the Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will be in the Resthaven Cemetery in Iron River. The West Side Veterans will accord Military Rites at the graveside. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Elio Argentati, please visit our flower store.