Michael George Balestrieri, age 48, of New Port Richey, Florida passed away on Monday, July 26, 2021. Michael was born June 13, 1973 in New York and has been a Pasco County Resident for 47 years. Mike was the Son of Maryellen and George Balestrieri.
Michael opened his 1st tattoo shop when he was 18 years old. He built his tattoo business into a successful career for 30 years. He was the owner/president of Another Dimension Tattoo + Body Piercing.
Michael is survived by his Daughter Victoria Hicks, Grandson Ezra Hicks, Mother MaryEllen Balestrieri, and Sister Nicole Janovsky. Michael is predeceased by his Father George Balestrieri
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.northmeadowlawnfuneral.com for the Balestrieri family.
"I’ve never spoken like this, but I can confidently say that I’m the only person that has known Mike Balestrieri my entire life. My dad had the biggest personality of anyone I’ve ever met, so I’m not sure if it’s even possible to sum him up in a few words. It’s funny because he always said he hated people, but he would make friends everywhere he went. I think my dads life motto would be go big or go home - he never did anything halfway and he always had to be over the top. He was multi talented and the wheels in his mind never stopped spinning thinking about his next project. He loved being outside - either in the woods or the water. We spent so much time on our boat where he taught me how to fish. Our favorite snack to bring was honey roasted peanuts, and somehow they tasted better with our hands covered in the fish chum oils after throwing the cast net for bait. He taught me how to surf and would get excited when there was a hurricane coming. We would go for hikes together, even if just in the woods behind our house. He taught me how to shoot a gun and change a tire - all those good things that a dad would teach their boy, but I was always willing to learn anything he would throw at me. Of course with all the manly outdoor things we did together, he didn’t shy away from all the girly things I was interested in. Every year we’d spend Christmas in Disney where I could live out my Princess dreams pretending the castle was mine. He was at every dance recital and chorus concert when he wasn’t traveling for tattoo conventions. Speaking of tattoo conventions, did you know that he was a real kickass tattoo artist? Gram, excuse the language, but I feel like that word was necessary because anything else wouldn’t have been enough. He did my first tattoo at 17 which of course made all my high school friends jealous. His work was on covers of tattoo magazines and Another Dimension was a place on the map. When I was in elementary school, my dad had the coolest job for the great American teach in. He’d come every year and draw pictures on the white board of anything the kids asked him to draw. To this day, one of my favorite smells is green soap. My dads parenting style can be summed up in the way he taught me to ride a bike - he gave me a pep talk, took the training wheels off, then pushed me down a hill. Don’t worry - no one got hurt and there were only a few tears. He was at the bottom cheering me on and when I fell he’d stick me right back at the top and make me do it again. I learned how to ride real quick! This was the same way he pushed me through school all the way through my bachelors degree. There would be some tears but in the end he’d be so proud and I’d be so proud of myself because I did it. Everyone said how much he bragged about me, and now my son because he was so proud of us. He loved his family deeply. I always felt safe because I knew he’d protect me from anything that tried to hurt me. In fact, my husband had some friendly death threats in the beginning because my dad just wanted to make sure he was good enough for me. I’m so thankful he was able to meet his grandson and I cannot wait to tell Ezra stories about the kind of man my dad was. Saying goodbye is never easy but my plan is to listen to Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd at full volume and I suggest you do the same."
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18