Mr. Arthur John LoVetere Sr., 86, died peacefully on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.

Mr. LoVetere was born in New Britain, Conn., and graduated from William H. Hall High School in West Hartford, Conn. He attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where he majored in Chemical Engineering and graduated cum laude and as a Distinguished Military Graduate. For eight years following graduation, he served in the United States Army Signal Corps Reserves rising to the rank of Captain and Company Commander.

On Sept. 9, 1961 he married Joan Mary Ottowitz of Bloomfield, Conn. They began their marriage in Hanover, N.H., where Joan worked as a dental assistant while Art earned his MBA cum laude at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1963.

Mr. LoVetere then began a 35-year career with MacDermid Incorporated, a Waterbury, Conn.-based specialty chemical company. He began as a laboratory technician while at business school and after graduation started as a technical field service engineer in the Philadelphia region, before being entrusted with increasing management responsibilities that culminated in becoming President and CEO before retiring.

A member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Mr. LoVetere also served on the WPI Board of Trustees and as Chairman of its Audit Committee, as well as on the Board of Directors of Reflexite Corporation, a specialty reflective product firm, becoming Chairman there before retiring at age 72.

An accomplished General Aviation pilot, Mr. LoVetere logged more than 4,000 hours of flight time over four active decades in his Piper 7-seater Saratoga aircraft, which he used for both business and personal travel. He took the additional, more rigorous step of acquiring a Commercial license and an Instrument Landing Rating.

Mr. LoVetere began his final career and calling as a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church with his ordination on June 8, 1991 in the Archdiocese of Hartford. He served at St. Augustine’s in South Glastonbury, Conn., until moving to Atlanta, Mich. in 1993. After arriving, Deacon Art served for 15 years at Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish in Atlanta and St. Augustine’s in Hillman. In 2008, he was reassigned to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lewiston. In total, he served for over 30 years at five parishes in the Diocese of Gaylord before retiring in 2024. The establishment of a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Montmorency County was a key focus during his early years in Northern Michigan, and he served as its Chairman and President for six years.

He was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Joan, his sister Kathy, and his parents Dr. A. Arthur and Mary Hanley LoVetere.

He is survived by their five children, Jenifer, Arthur (Jay) Jr. (Phyllis), Gwen, Caroline Stephany (David) and Jeffrey (Beth); 12 grandchildren, Ruby and Jules Costello, Arthur (Johnny) III (Michele) and James LoVetere, Emil Marz, Alexander, Mia and Adam Stefanelli, and Shawn, Brayden, Ryan and Ethan LoVetere; and three great-grandchildren, Angelo, Luca and Mia LoVetere. He is also survived by his brother Don (Shari).

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in the spring at St. Francis of Assisi in Lewiston. Mr. LoVetere will be laid to rest at the St. Augustine Cemetery in Hillman, joining his father and beloved wife Joan. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in memory of Deacon Art and Joan to Lewiston Community Sharing, PO Box 796, Lewiston, MI 49756.