Matthew "Mike" Fontana, D.D.S.

Matthew "Mike" Fontana, D.D.S., age 89, died peacefully on September 22, 2015 at Wm. Beaumont Hospital of Grosse Pointe. Matthew was born on March 10, 1926 in Detroit, the son of John and Lena (nee Manzo) Fontana. He grew up on the eastside and was a 1944 graduate of Denby High School. He went to college and dental school, graduating from the University of Detroit's School of Dentistry in 1949. Dr. Fontana practiced in Detroit for a brief time before moving to the Hollywood Clinic in 1951. Also known as a commercial and residential builder, Dr. Fontana built the Hollywood Clinic and many other professional and office buildings on Mack Avenue. He was also responsible for developing the Fontana Lane subdivision in Grosse Pointe Shores and other residential homes in the area. He was also a professional pianist, work that paid for his education. In 1957, Mike married Josephine Vulpetti at St. Luke Catholic Church. They have been 58 year residents of Grosse Pointe Shores since their marriage. Additionally, Mike was a member of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church since 1956, a member of the Detroit and Michigan Dental Associations, a member of the Detroit Federation of Musicians and was an Emeritus Member of the Cardinal Club of Detroit. Dr. Fontana is survived by his wife Josephine; their four children, Michael J. Fontana, Jean Criss, Mary Fontana, D.D.S. and Robert Fontana, M.D. (Anita); five grandchildren, Kirsten and Matthew Farrell and Victor, Paul and Julie Fontana, his sister Carmela Brucia (John) and brothers, Frank Fontana (Carolyn) and John Fontana (Sharon Ulrich), and many nieces and nephews. The funeral for Dr. Fontana will be held at 10:00 am Saturday at the A. H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Avenue at Vernier Road in Grosse Pointe Woods. Visitation will be from 2:00-9:00 pm Friday and 9:00-10:00 am Saturday. Monsignor Gary Smetanka, pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, will officiate. Private entombment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield. The family has suggested memorials be made to Alzheimer's Association , 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or Gift of Life, 3861 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48108 True Greatness, Family Love by Jean Criss9/26/15 This is a story about True Greatness and Family Love, in memory of my father, Dr. Matthew Mike Fontana. Thank you Monsignor and to all for joining us today. We come together to celebrate my wonderful father's life, Dr. Matthew Mike Fontana, beloved husband, father of four children, and grandfather to five beautiful grandchildren. To many of you, he was known as "Uncle Mike" or "Doctor Mike" and to others "Doctor Fontana". But to all of us, Dad was a kind and generous man, someone who was more reliable and consistent then the rising and setting sun, a humble person who thrived on helping others while never seeking to bring attention to himself. Dad began his journey in the tight knit Italian community of the east side of Detroit as the son of aspiring immigrant parents, John and Lena Fontana. He evolved in his role as brother and safe-keeper of his three younger siblings and eventual husband to our wonderful mother Josephine whom he married in 1957. A devout catholic and member of Our Lady Star of the Sea parish, he rarely missed a Sunday or Holy day service. He also was a member of the Cardinal Club of the Arch Diocese of Detroit and he and my Mom had the pleasure of meeting Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1996. Dad's childhood during the Great Depression (1930s) was a difficult time with jobs rare to find, limited resources and opportunities for advancement, and an uncertain future for many. However, these frugal times brought out an incredible drive and work ethic in many people of his generation to succeed; for my dad, those lean times helped propel him forward through high school, college and the rest of his life! He studied and worked hard, developed musical skills with piano lessons and helped care for his siblings and extended family to help make ends meet. Our Grandfather (John Fontana) taught him to become a builder, contractor and developer along the way with quality workmanship always emphasized over speed or quantity. In a time with no scholarship or government loans available, our Father self-funded his college education and dental tuition by working as a part-time musician at nights and weekends. In fact, Dad became a Professional Pianist (musician) who played in multiple 'Big Swing Bands' over the years as a family entertainer, earning a living dedicating long hours during his weekends at wedding party's for many family and friends. In fact, Dad excelled at music so much he became a Professional Dancer and was part of the original Arthur Murray Dance Club! Mom and Dad attended many 2-step swing dancin' tournaments just as we see today on ABC's 'Dancin' With The Stars' and even won a silver medal for their two step! Dad graduated early from the University of Detroit Dental School in 1949 at the age of 23, and was one of only 16 graduates that year. Shortly thereafter, he started his dental practice at Mack and Lenox Avenues above Flemings Drugs Store in Detroit. In 1951, he built Hollywood Clinic with our Grandfather and then moved his practice 4 years later to the corner of Mack and Hollywood where it remains today. Over the ensuing years, his dental business flourished and he became a popular figure in the local community. I like many other local patients looked forward to receiving the plastic ring or rubber snake kept in the drawer by the receptionist. Dad would love to engage in conversation especially while your mouth was full of cotton! He always made you feel comfortable and not scared in the dental chair. Dad ran his business as a solo-practitioner (not sure how he did it), but somehow he persevered, and eventually retired after 63 successful years of continuous practice and service in February 2012. In addition to being a full time dentist, my dad also thrived in his other career as a residential and commercial builder and developer and accomplished local business man. He started the Yacht Club Building Company with his family and subsequently the Fontana Construction Company that built most of the homes on Hollywood in Grosse Pointe Woods (GPW). These endeavors also led to the planning, design and construction of over 50 individual homes in the area which remain largely unchanged and intact with their original furnishings. Perhaps the crowning jewel of our family legacy was Dad's development of a subdivision from a swampy marshland off of Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pte. Shores (GPS). This street which is populated with 22 beautiful homes that my father designed and built is now known as "Fontana Lane" where we all grew up. Over the past 60 years, we have had the unique opportunity to grow up with countless families and generation of neighbors on Fontana Lane who have become close friends and members of our extended family. Dad's legacy and contributions to the local community speak for themselves. In 1980, Dad received a Beautification Commission Architect Award from the City of GPW for his commercial buildings, and in 2012 he received an Honorary Award for his dedication in the community from Town Mayor (Robert Novitke) upon his retirement as a General Dentist. He treated his business colleagues like they were family morning coffee at Big Boys Breakfast Club followed by Town Hall or City Hall meetings in the Grosse Pointes. Wherever he was, it was a noteworthy and newsworthy discussion about business, politics or the like Dad well represented his state of affairs and purpose in our local communities. He stood up for what he believed in. Actually, I was always surprised that he never ran for City Office after all those years. We know he would have been successful at that too! Dad has been a true entrepreneur a dentist by profession, a builder, developer and realtor by hobby, and professional level musician in his spare time. Yes, dad was a socialite, outgoing and always on the go thru his last days before retirement; many of you may even recall him climbing the roofs on Mack Avenue at 85 years old! His children have followed in Dad's footsteps as he shared his wealth of knowledge, wisdom and insights as he educated us throughout our lives. My brother Mike has followed in his footsteps in real estate and mortgage banking locally throughout Michigan, my dear sister Mary as a general dentist and cosmetic surgeon in Grosse Pte. Woods, my younger brother Bob as a professor in gastroenterology at U of M (Ann Arbor), and myself as a media and technology entrepreneur in the Midwest and Northeast. We all took a little of Dad's insights and knowledge into our everyday life and made it our own. Yes, Dad had his key phrases and lived by his word. He never missed a beat and taught us to 'Live Life to Its Fullest' and 'Don't Put off Tomorrow What You Can Do Today'. I honestly thought my dad was an Economist too -- he knew so much about World News, Events and forthcoming trends and thrived on discussing the issues of the day with close friends and family. He not only was a worldly man but was loving and caring man, and very generous of his time to anyone who needed his help and assistance. He even was our Mr. Fix-it! He loved to repair household items and other things and no-task was too challenging. He had such a strong will to live and to persevere at anything he was our rock and he gave us our strength and courage. He taught me the meaning of passion and perseverance. Dad also loved to read and share stories and anecdotes with others, play the grand piano for relaxation, attend live concerts, dine at fine restaurants as well at home, and spend quality time with his immediate family. Holidays were everything to Dad. We shared so many wonderful memories together with Mom, his children, grandchildren, family and friends. To me, my dad was the definition of 'true greatness' as defined in Good to Great by Jim Collins, a well renowned author who explains that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance; but largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline. . . . . Think about that. Even in Dad's last days he was asking us questions about our lives, worrying about us rather than himself. A selfless-disciplined man. I'd like to leave with parting words from Kerry Egan, a CNN writer and a Chaplain at a cancer hospital, who wrote a beautiful story about 'what people talk about before they die'. CNN was one of my Dad's favorite cable TV stations. I'm calling this True Greatness, Family Love. It reads like this. . . "What do people who are sick and dying talk about? God? Religion? The meaning of their lives? Prayer? Well, they talk about their families. I mostly listen." . . . "They talk about the love they felt, and the love they gave. Often they talk the love they did not know how to offer, the love they withheld, or maybe never felt for the ones they should have loved unconditionally. They talk about how they learned what love is, and what it is not.". . . How we live our lives with our families: the families we are born into, the families we create, the families we make through the people we choose as friends. This is where we create our lives. This is where we find meaning. This is where our purpose becomes clear. . . . Family is where we first experience love and where we first give it. . . . We don't have to use words of theology to talk about God; people who are close to death almost never do. We should learn from those who are dying that the best way to teach our children about God is by loving each other wholly and forgiving each other fully. . . . Dad was a noble, righteous man. Smart. Energetic. He shared so much of his love of life with all of us. As Kerry Egan states, family is the foundation of our love; we live our lives with our families. Mom has always been by Dad's side supporting and caring for him - and that's the meaning of our true greatness! Thank you Mom! Today we celebrate Mike Fontana, our Dad, his greatness and his spirit will live on forever. We will always love him. He will be watching over all of us and continue to guide us to eternal happiness. As the sun lite shines down upon us, we will know where Dad is he will be watching over all of us his wife, children, grandchildren, and all of you his spirit will shine bright. Dad, we love you unconditionally. We miss you tremendously. I know, you know, that I love you with all my heart. You've been my everything -- my rock, my dear father, my mentor through the years. Rest in peace Dad and may God be with you. Thank you. Amen.

Funeral Home:

A. H. Peters Funeral Home of Grosse Pointe

20705 Mack Avenue

Grosse Pointe Woods, MI

US 48236