Castrenze “Steve” Amato died Tuesday, July 15, at age 84.
He was born Nov. 11, 1940, in Alcamo, Sicily, Italy, to Antonino and Caterina (Manno) Amato.
Prior to moving to the United States in the late 1960s, he served with the Italian Army during peacetime. Shortly after he came to America, he married Maria A. Amato, Nov. 19,1966. He was a hardworking husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed most of his days surrounded by family at the lake house.
Some of his favorite hobbies included showing off his hot boat collection. He was very well known in the racing boat community. He also enjoyed camping, traveling to their vacation home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and showing off his Italian heritage and traditions.
In his early days in America, Steve opened popular pizza joints in the Grand Rapids area. Prior to retirement, he spent many years as a talented carpenter and was often known as “MacGyver” for his creative solutions to any problem.
He is survived by his brother, Joe Amato (Anna); children Tony Amato (Brenda), Peter Amato (Karen), Kathy D’Angelo (Tom); grandchildren Maria, Eddie, Nicholas, Shelby, Vincent, Dominic, Isabella, Marco; great-grandchildren Luigi and Theoden; and many extended family and friends
He was preceded in death by his wife, Maria Amato; his parents; and sisters Benedetta Scavone (Jaspare) and Vincenza Matranga (Gaspare).
Visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 20, at Kubiak-Cook Funeral Home (Wayland Chapel), 312 N. Main St. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, July 21, 2025 at St. Therese Catholic Church, 128 Cedar St., Wayland, with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. prior to service. Steve will be laid to rest at Elmwood Cemetery.
