Castrenze "Steve" Amato

Castrenze “Steve” Amato went home to be with his Lord and Savior Tuesday, July 15, 2025. He was born November 11, 1940 in Alcamo, Sicily, Italy, to Antonino and Caterina (Manno) Amato. He was preceded in death by his wife, Maria Amato; his parents; and sisters Benedetta Scavone (Jaspare) and Vincenza Matranga (Gaspare). He is survived by his brother, Joe Amato (Anna); children Tony Amato (Brenda), Peter Amato (Karen), Kathy D'Angelo (Tom); grandchildren Maria, Eddie, Nicholas, Shelby, Anthony, Vincent, Dominic, Isabella, Marco, Anthony; great-grandchildren Luigi and Theoden; and many extended family and friends.

Prior to moving to the United States in the late 1960’s, he served with the Italian Army during peacetime. Shortly after he came to America, he married the love of his life, Maria A. Amato, on November 19,1966. He was a hardworking husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed most of his days surrounded by family at the lake house. Some of his favorite hobbies included showing off his hot boat collection; he was very well known in the racing boat community. He also enjoyed camping, traveling to their vacation home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and showing off his Italian heritage and traditions. In his early days in America, Steve opened up popular pizza joints in the Grand Rapids area. Prior to retirement, he spent many years as a talented carpenter, as well, and was often known as “MacGyver” for his creative solutions to any problem.

Visitation will be held from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, July 20, 2025 at Kubiak-Cook Funeral Home (Wayland Chapel), 312 N. Main St., Wayland, MI, 49348. A funeral Mass will be held 11 a.m. Monday, July 21, 2025 at St. Therese Catholic Church, 128 Cedar St., Wayland MI 49348, with visitation from 10-11 a.m. prior to service. Steve will be laid to rest at Elmwood Cemetery.

The family welcomes memories and messages at www.kubiakcookwayland.com in their guestbook online.