Peter A. Correia

Peter Albert Correia passed away on Sunday, Sept. 5, with his family and friends around him, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Pete was born to parents Henry and Bertha (Panaretos) Correia on Sept. 9, 1945 in New London, CT. His family moved to Detroit soon thereafter. Pete attended the now-defunct Detroit Cathedral High School, where he was an all-state center for the Wildcats, and graduated in 1963. He played hockey at his beloved alma mater Michigan State University under legendary coach Amo Bessone, missing the 1966 national championship season after suffering serious injuries in an automobile accident. He graduated from MSU in 1969 with a B.A. in Psychology. Beginning his banking career soon after graduation, Pete joined Detroit Bank & Trust under the guidance of mentor and lifelong friend Harry Marchand. Following the passing of Pete's wife Barbara (Patton) in 1976, he moved his family to Traverse City, where he served as Branch Manager for the original Traverse City State Bank branch on East Bay. He eventually moved to Senior Vice President of the bank that would later become Pacesetter Bank and Trust and Old Kent Bank. Pete took a hiatus from banking in the mid-1990s to help spearhead the construction of Centre ICE Arena, serving as Executive Director in the facility's early years, and bringing the Detroit Red Wings Training Camp to Traverse City, beginning in 1997. The event would grow to include the NHL Prospects Tournament and has become one of the region's annual staples. Pete returned to banking in 1999, founding the new Traverse City State Bank that opened its doors in July 2000. Traverse City State Bank has since grown to amass more than $300 million in deposits, and remains the only bank that is local to Traverse City. In the years since retiring from TCSB, Pete taught business classes at Northwestern Michigan College, consulted for numerous businesses and projects, and was appointed Peninsula Twp. Supervisor in 2013 before being elected to the same post in 2014. Pete remained an avid hockey player well into his 60s, finishing his playing career with the Perfect Edge squad in Traverse City's O-League before stepping behind the bench to coach the club through last season. He played, refereed, and coached hockey at a variety of different levels throughout the years, including a stint as skipper of Traverse City's first adult women's hockey team. Pete also enjoyed slow-pitch softball, playing for over 30 years. In 1986, Pete and his River Pharmacy team won a national championship in Colorado Springs. A lifelong fan of the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions, and Detroit Tigers - and especially his beloved MSU Spartans - Pete was an ardent supporter, as a season ticketholder, frequent away-game traveler, and big-game attendee. He went to eight MSU bowl games, more than 20 Stanley Cup Finals games (including three Cup-clinchers), the 2000 NCAA basketball championship won by MSU, World Series games in 1968 and 2006, and was among the staunchest supporters of the NAHL's Traverse City North Stars hockey club. Pete also enjoyed travel, and was a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World in Florida with his children and later his grandchildren. He also took an annual springtime trek to Cancun, Mexico where he owned timeshares for over 30 years. It was not uncommon for him to help organize groups of 30-40 people traveling to the tropical locale for what became a yearly celebration of family and friendship. Pete was also an active member of the volunteer community, serving in a variety of charitable, administrative, scholastic, and governmental capacities. Most recently, he championed the Peter Dougherty Society as a competitor in the local Swingshift and the Stars Dance series, where he helped raise over $91,000 for the cause. Pete was known to be a giving and selfless individual, and offered even casual acquaintances words of encouragement or guidance, mentoring, or even advice befitting a surrogate father figure in many instances. He loved to spend time among family and friends. Pete married longtime companion Stephanie Miller in 2015, and they renewed their wedding vows in the presence of family and friends two days before he passed. Preceded by his parents Henry and Bertha, wife Barbara (Patton), and parents-in-law Jack and Kay Patton, Pete is survived by his wife Stephanie Miller, daughter Heather (Correia) and husband Dave Stensby, son Lance and wife Allison (Classens), sister Elizabeth (Correia) and husband Tim Popp, as well as grandsons Niko and Graham Stensby, granddaughters Peyton and Reagan Correia, second wife Shirlanna (Shipman) Correia, and Stephanie's daughter Jennipher Kettlewell and husband Sean, son Ken Wolgast, and granddaughters Sydney and Mackenna Kettlewell. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at St. Francis Catholic Church with visitation one hour prior to the mass. Following the mass, there will be a celebration of Pete's life from 4 until 7 p.m. at Centre ICE. Rather than flowers, monetary gifts to honor Pete's life may be directed to The Correia Memorial Fund, c/o Traverse City State Bank, P. O. Box 192, Traverse City, MI 49685.

Peter A. Correia

September 9, 1945 - September 4, 2016