BURT E. PAROLINI, JR.
July 31, 1932 - September 2, 2022

Burt E. Parolini, Jr., 90, of Marquette, passed away Friday morning, September 2, 2022, at Michigan Veterans Home-D.J. Jacobetti. During his final days, he was cared for by his two daughters, the Jacobetti staff, and U.P. Home Health & Hospice.

Burt was born on July 31, 1932, in Ishpeming to the late Burt E. and Alice M. (Clulo) Parolini, Sr. He was a lifelong area resident and graduated in 1950 from Graveraet High School. In 1955, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Northern Michigan University. During college, he worked at Bay Cliff Health Camp in Big Bay, where he very much enjoyed helping children with physical disabilities have meaningful and fun camp experiences. After attaining his degree from NMU, he served in the U.S. Army for two years stateside.

Upon entering the workforce in 1957, Burt was employed with the Marquette Mining Journal for ten years as Retail Advertising Manager, where he sold and designed print ads for local businesses and service providers. During this time, he met his future wife, Terri, during a dental appointment in which she assisted. For their first date, he took her to his favorite place on earth - his family's camp on Lake Superior at Buckroe. The couple were married in 1966 at St. Michael's in Marquette. Throughout their 56-year marriage, Burt & Terri enjoyed hosting and attending social events, traveling within the U.S. & beyond, taking long evening walks along the lake & around their eastside neighborhood, and in later years, attending activities together (including playing bingo) at the Jacobetti Home.

In 1966, Burt left his newspaper career and joined the brokerage firm of Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis as a Financial Consultant, where he gave personalized investment advice to hundreds of clients over his 22-year career. After the Paine Webber office in Marquette closed in 1988, he continued his career working for Edward D. Jones & Co. He retired from paid work in 1993.

Community involvement was a hallmark of Burt's life, and his civic commitments spanned many decades. As both a leader and an at-large member, he dedicated hundreds of hours of service to a vast array of committees, organizations, and boards. Of particular note, he served on the board of the former Marquette Catholic Credit Union (now Embers Credit Union) from 1966 to 2000, where he also held the position of board chair from 1976 to 1979 and 1985 to 1990. In 1993, during his tenure with the credit union, Burt was named Michigan Credit Union Person of the Year. A passionate Rotarian of 53 years, Burt was an active member and past president of the Marquette Rotary Club (1980-1981) and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship through Rotary International. He also served on the AMCAB board of directors and was a past president of the American Cancer Society, Marquette County. Continually honing his public speaking skills, Burt was past president of both the Speak Easy Toastmasters Club and later the Superiorland Toastmasters Club. He was a charter member of St. Michael's Catholic Church.

Throughout his life, Burt enjoyed countless hobbies, including fishing, bird watching, gardening, studying history, travel, and most of all, reading. A voracious reader, he read anything and everything, and his bookshelves were always overflowing. He had his own personal "office" space at the Jacobetti home and could be found reading all kinds of materials up until his final weeks.

Burt loved being a grandpa, and his grandchildren will always think of him as funny, kind, and doting - and always smiling whenever they were around. A favorite memory of theirs is when he taught the older ones how to play blackjack & dice - when they were all between the ages of 5 and 11 years old! A savvy instructor - whether guest presenting to a school group, helping with a challenging math problem, or simply sharing an important life skill, Burt was an outstanding teacher and tutor - always challenging his students and those he loved to do their very best.

As a father, grandfather, friend, and colleague, Burt will be remembered for his friendliness, dedication, tenacity, creativity, and intelligence. He was fiercely loyal and would do whatever was necessary to protect and honor those he loved. There was a gentle side of Burt that if you were fortunate to experience, you always knew how special you were to him. He was truly at his best when he was enjoying the outdoors - especially the woods at camp. The warm sun, rustling leaves, and lapping waves always brought him solace - and the peace & quiet he always cherished.

Burt is survived by his three children, Carol (John) Pitz of Chanhassen, MN, Susan (John) Arend of Belmont, MI, and John Parolini of Grand Rapids, MI; six grandchildren, Eric and Brian Pitz, Michael, Katelyn, and Kyle Arend, Piper Parolini; one brother, George W. Parolini, Sr. of Troy, MI; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death besides his parents was his loving wife, Terri, who passed away on August 8th of this year.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans for the outstanding care provided to Burt throughout the past 12 ½ years. From Nursing to Activities and all other departments in between, these dedicated individuals created a home-away-from-home community within which both Burt and Terri genuinely became honored members.

The Parolini family will greet relatives and friends on Friday, September 9th, beginning at 10 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the church at 12 noon, with the Rev. Gregory Heikkala officiating. A luncheon will be served in the Zyrd Parish Center at the church immediately following the Mass. Burial will take place in the Park Cemetery. Burt's four grandsons will serve as his escorts.

Those wishing to make an expression of sympathy are kindly asked to consider Bay Cliff Health Camp, P.O. Box 310, Big Bay, MI 49808, in Burt's memory.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Canale-Tonella Funeral Home and Cremation Services, where memories of Burt may be shared at canalefuneral.com.

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