Dr. Andrew Anthony Armato, 89, died peacefully Monday, June 13, 2016, at home in Maui, Hawaii, after a sudden illness, with his family and his favorite Frank Sinatra songs playing.
He was one of three boys and two girls, first-generation American citizens born to Italian immigrants who came through Ellis Island from Sicily. He was a World War II veteran, spending two years in the U.S. Navy and used the GI Bill to pursue his dream of becoming a physician.
He built a farm in Freeland, Mich., where he raised his family and practiced medicine at Saginaw Osteopathic Hospital in Michigan for many years before moving to Iola, where he finished his medical career.
He was a gentleman farmer and became an expert on planting and raising blue spruce and a variety of fruit trees. He continued to share his agricultural expertise, overseeing the planting of flowers and fruit trees at his daughter’s home in Maui, where he moved with his wife over a year ago.
He was a member of the American Legion in both Iola and Newport Beach, Calif.
He leaves his loving wife of 59 years, Patricia K. Schnepp Armato; children, Rebecca in Maui; Michael in Michigan and Douglas in Wisconsin; his two sisters, Mrs. Mary LaPage and Beatrice Armato in Massachusetts; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all who will miss his personality and wit.
He asked that anyone who wishes to remember him to plant a tree in his honor as he felt there will never be enough trees on this planet! The family would like to acknowledge his physicians in Maui for their compassionate care and Hospice Maui for helping him pass serenely at home.
