Peter Calamia

Peter "Pete" Calamia, the beloved youngest child of Sicilian immigrants Joseph and Rose Calamia, passed away peacefully 22 November 2025 at the age of 96. Born and raised in Detroit, Pete was affectionately known as "Little Pete" by his older siblings, who treasured their kid brother. The son of a candy-store owner, and a vast number of other careers, he learned the value of hard work early-selling apples on street corners and bartering alongside the family at Detroit's Eastern Market. After high school, Pete entered a seminary in Illinois, preparing for mission work in Asia, before realizing that path was not his calling. Soon after, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving honorably as a military policeman in Korea. The experience left deep and lasting marks; only in recent years did he begin to speak of the eight-hour Chinese artillery barrage that tested him more than any moment in his life. Upon returning home, Pete trained as a master mechanic and began a career in quality control at DeSoto Automotive. Later, he devoted 25 years to the State of Michigan as a groundskeeper at Northville State Hospital-a job he genuinely loved. Many winter mornings, his children watched him head out before dawn in heavy snowstorms, determined to keep the hospital sidewalks clear for staff and patients. It was steady, meaningful work, and it suited him perfectly. In 1954 he married the love of his life, June, and together they raised five children. Ever resourceful, Pete was never without a side venture-working flea markets, running an antique booth called "Pete's Precious Products," and once, famously, paying cash for a brand-new pickup truck by collecting and selling used newspapers. Thirty years ago, Pete purchased four wooded acres in Evart, Michigan-his pride and joy. With nothing but an axe and a shovel, he cleared roads, felled trees, and pulled stumps by hand, continuing that labor of love well into his late seventies. In his final years, Pete lived independently at Hawk Lake Apartments, where he baked endless loaves of homemade bread and delighted in perfecting new recipes. He drove until just a month before his passing and, with characteristic thoughtfulness, quietly began giving away cherished possessions in mid-October, preparing those he loved for the day he would be gone. Pete is survived by his five children, 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, and a wide circle of family and friends who will remember him as a quiet, steady presence who built a rich life one honest day at a time. He was a strong current-never loud, but always felt. He will be deeply missed and forever loved.
Funeral visitation to be held on Wednesday, December 3rd 2025 from 1pm until and Open Mic Service at 6pm at Charles Step Funeral Home: 18425 Beech Daly, Redford MI 48240 (Between 6 and 7 Mile road). Instate next day (Time to be Determined) at Our Lady Of Loretto: 17116 Olympia, Redford MI 48240. Internment to be held at St. Hedwig Cemetery and Mausoleum. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Peter, please visit our floral store.