Dean Francis Romagnoli

Dean was born Aug. 26, 1942, in Iron Mountain, the son of the late Dino and Eva (Spigarelli) Romagnoli. A lifelong resident of the area, he graduated from Iron Mountain High School in 1960. Not long after graduation, he attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Two years into his studies, Dean voluntarily left NMU and enlisted in the United States Navy to serve his country. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago as a Hospital Corpsman (medic) and was assigned to the USS Saratoga (CVA-60) docked at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla. While on ship, Dean and a small contingency of Hospital Corpsman were responsible for the health and wellness of over 3,800 Sailors.

On March 7, 1964, he married Anita Sussan Leardi (Suzie) at Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Iron Mountain.

Until he was disabled, Dean served in the Navy from Jan. 28, 1963, to Feb. 23, 1965, receiving an honorable discharge. A lifetime member of the Uren Cooper American Legion Post 50, he took part in parades and other veteran/civic pride events.

Dean was the owner/operator of Dino’s Bar downtown on Hughitt Street until he sold the business in 1976. He served as an alderman on the Iron Mountain City Council, representing Ward 1. He was also a key member of the Iron Mountain City Waterboard and was instrumental in gaining the land for the ‘Tot Lot’ located on the north side. Additionally, he belonged to the Laborers’ International Union, Local 1329, where he was appointed job steward and later elected to the position of president. In these vital roles, Dean vigorously defended the interests of both the membership and the union with great success.

He is survived by his much-loved wife of 60 years, Suzie of Iron Mountain; daughters, Anita (George) Wydetic of Iron Mountain and Lisa (Colonel Kevin) Campbell of Holloman AFB, N.M.; son, Reno Romagnoli of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and son of his heart, Richard A. Cerasoli of Harrison Township; three grandchildren, Nels Maule of Kingsford, Meghan (Dr. Landon) Voigt of Parker, Colo., and Dominic Romagnoli of Minneapolis; his coffee buddies and cousins, Dwight and Patrick Romagnoli, and Mark Bolander; nephews, Dino (Tammy) Romagnoli and family, and Nick (Jill) Romagnoli; niece, Christine (Kevin) Lyons; sister-in-law, Dianne (Dufresne) (Romagnoli) Izzo; and brother-in-law, Lucien (Jeannie) Leardi and family.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his beloved brother, Bruce Romagnoli, and brother of his heart, Roger Khoury.

Dean’s passing leaves a huge hole in the Romagnoli family. To his friends, he was a man’s man, loyal to a fault and the last of a rare breed. However, to his wife and children, he was a man who always had their back no matter the circumstances and their one constant in an ever-changing world.

We love you. Time to rest, Deanie.

Until we meet again…

Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at the Jacobs Funeral Home in Iron Mountain. A celebration of life will follow at 2 p.m. at the funeral home.

Friends may leave condolences and tributes to Dean’s family online at www.jacobsfuneralhomes.com.

The family has chosen Jacobs Funeral Home of Iron Mountain to honor Dean’s legacy of life.