Michael A. Panici

While New York and Chicago may argue over who makes the best pizza, the family and friends of Michael Panici already know the answer. Mike was famous for his homemade pizza and if you were lucky enough to have been a friend or family member, then you know that no other can compare. From making pizza to being a husband and father, everything he did was done out of kindness and love. Mike was a devoted husband, a caring father and grandfather, and a good friend, and it is those endearing qualities that will not soon be forgotten by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. The roaring twenties were a time when Americans were more prosperous than they had ever thought possible. The country was put to work building homes and highways as the automobile industry drove the decade forward at an unprecedented speed. It was a decade of innovation, when cars were hitting the roadways, airliners were hitting the air, and steel was shaping the urban skyline one skyscraper at a time. For August and Santa Panici of Muskegon, Michigan, the decade certainly took off on a high note when they welcomed their son, Michael August. All together there would be six children born in the Panici family, including five boys and one girl. Michael or Mike, as many called him, was the oldest followed by Orie, Fritz, Lewis, Augie, and Mary. The first few years of Mike's life came and went, almost as quickly as the good fortune of the 1920s. While many families struggled through the early 1930s, by the time Mike entered his freshman year at Muskegon High School, a light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. When he earned his diploma in the latter part of the decade, WWII was on the horizon and attention was quickly turning to the battle overseas. Following graduation, Mike joined the thousands of young men serving in the armed forces when he enlisted in the United States Navy. He was quickly shipped out to the Pacific Theater where he was stationed during the war. Back at home, Mike had met and fallen in love with a young lady named Joyce Charron. Mike proposed marriage to Joyce, and they were wed in a romantic Valentine's Day ceremony in Muskegon on February 14, 1942. In the years that followed, the couple welcomed two daughters, Nancy and Patricia. Mike worked as a tool and die maker at Dresser Industries to support his young family. To earn extra money, he did cement contracting on the side and it was often said that he had poured every other driveway in the city of Muskegon. While Mike may have been very successful at both jobs, he was even more successful as a husband and father. At home he was a wonderful and loving husband to his wife Joyce and a dedicated father to his two daughters. In 1986, Mike retired from Dresser Industries after more than fifty years of service. Even in retirement he stayed connected to the company and his co-workers by serving as President of the Dresser Retirement Group. He also stayed connected to his faith as a member of St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church. Now in passing, Mike will remain in the hearts and on the minds of his family and friends as they fondly look back and remember all of the joy that his life brought them. Michael August Panici died on Thursday, August 3, 2006 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; two daughters, Nancy (Harry) McCallum of Fruitport, Patricia A. Swisher of St. Joseph, MI; five grandchildren, Debbie (Trent) Paynich of Grand Rapids, MI, Michelle (Mike) Lovse of Grandville, MI, Michael McCallum of Muskegon, Marissa Swisher & Zach Swisher, both of St. Joseph, MI; one great grandchild, Brooke Lovse; his sister, Mary (Donald) Swanson of Muskegon; and three brothers, Orie Panici, Lewis Panici, and Augie Panici all of Muskegon. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Fritz Panici, and his sisters-in-law, Verna Panici, Marisue Panici, Sally Panici, and Judy Panici. A service will be held on Monday, August 7, 2006 at 11:00 AM at St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church with Fr. Jim Wyse officiating. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Sunday from 2 to 4 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon, with a scripture service at 4 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to the Diabetes Association. Please visit Mike's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.