WILMINGTON — Richard Frank Calcaterra, 81, of Wilmington, NC, formerly of Detroit, MI, passed away Sunday, September 15, 2024, at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Richard was born February 11, 1943, in Detroit, MI, son of the late Louis Carl and Mary Theresa Calcaterra.
Richard grew up in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Edwin Denby High School. In 1967 he received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit where he was a proud member of Theta Tau, a professional collegiate engineering fraternity. After graduation Richard worked at Detroit Edison and GE in Detroit. On August 26, 1967, he was married to Michelle, a Marygrove College alum. The couple moved to Wilmington, NC, where Richard worked at GE, and they started their family.
Richard’s hobbies included buying old bikes, fixing them up and reselling them. He also enjoyed taking bike rides with his family and taking his family for rides in his MG and Triumph Spitfire. He enjoyed woodworking and had a very well-organized collection of woodworking supplies in his garage. After he retired, he and Michelle took many trips around the US with a GE retiree group. More recently he enjoyed meeting up with a group of friends at McDonald’s every morning where he enjoyed coffee and conversation.
Richard was preceded in death by his loving wife of 53 years, Michelle Calcaterra, and is survived by his son Jeff Calcaterra (Ledia) of Carrboro, NC; daughter Suzanne Calcaterra Bio (Frank) of Holly Springs, NC; four grandchildren, Estella, Jeffrey, Julius and Mia.
A funeral mass will be held at 9:00 am Thursday, October 3, 2024, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with Rev. John McGee OSFS officiating. Entombment will follow at Oleander Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s memory may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital or New Hanover County Senior Resource Center.
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