Peter Mackey Angelini

Peter Mackey Angelini, age 81, passed away after a brief illness on December 30, 2024. He was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to parents Carobino ("Cud") and Ruth Mackey Angelini and was raised in West Stockbridge with his brother and three sisters.  Peter grew up surrounded by a large circle of family and friends and learned the meaning and value of hard work in his father's business, Berkshire Frosted Foods in Pittsfield. 

His Catholic faith was awakened in early youth as his prayers for his mother's recovery from a severe brain aneurysm were answered and from the comfort it provided him after the loss of his beloved grandfather, T.F. Mackey of Stockbridge.  Peter played basketball and learned to study hard at Williams High School in Stockbridge.  He graduated in 1960 and then attended Boston College where he majored in English Language and Literature. In 1964 Peter earned a B.A. from Boston College and married Stockbridge native Margo Anderson. 

That same year Peter joined the U.S. Army officer ranks and he and Margo moved to Fort Cavazos near Kileen, Texas. Peter was assigned to a tank division, where he rose to the rank of First Lieutenant.  He was honorably discharged with an Army Commendation Medal in 1966 and then hired by Ford Motor Company as a Human Resources clerk at the Michigan Truck Plant (MTP) in Wayne, Michigan. 

Peter moved to MTP's production arm six months after his hire to help with the inaugural build of the Ford Bronco and never stopped building cars and trucks.  He and Margo moved first to Ypsilanti, Michigan before settling in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1971 where they grew their family with two sons.  Peter was very proud of his sons often noting their dedication to family and career.

Peter proceeded to hold numerous Ford vehicle production positions of greater responsibility over the course of five decades in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Ontario, Canada.  At these varied stages he helped build Ford Broncos, F-Series pickups, Mustangs, Thunderbirds, and Econoline vans, to name a few.  Peter's proudest achievement of his Ford career was his promotion to MTP Plant Manager in 1991.

In 1994, he married Lila Han and began the overseas portion of his Ford career.  Peter worked for Ford subsidiaries, Jaguar and Aston Martin, in Great Britain and Saarluis, Germany for several years. He was fascinated with European automotive production and dedicated to improvement of it wherever possible. To his and Lila's delight, those years also yielded the acquaintance of many British and German friends with whom they would socialize often and came to love and cherish.  They traveled extensively across Europe before returning to the U.S. in 2001. Peter and Lila were happily married for 27 years, until her death from ovarian cancer in December 2020.  Over the years Peter became close to Lila's mother, sister, children and grandchildren and loved them very much.

Peter moved home to the Berkshires in 2021 where he took great comfort in living near and interacting with his brother and sisters.  He also spent his time embracing his faith at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pittsfield, attending mass daily and participating in bible study groups. He walked along Cascade Street, rain or shine, bonding with those who visited with and accommodated him along each day's journey.   Peter's family is very grateful and extends an earnest Thank You to those who reached into his life and let him into theirs.

In more recent years Peter would spend the winter season in Southern California, close to one of his son's residence.  In a short time he became fully integrated into St. James's Parish in Redondo Beach, impacting the lives of many there with his generosity and willingness to help.  And, of course, he also established a daily and extended walking routine there along the Pacific Ocean beaches, where he converted strangers to friends by offering kind conversation or whatever else was needed.  It was there that he came to his final rest and was embraced by the arms of the Lord.

Peter was preceded in death by his father, Carobino Angelini; his mother, Ruth Angelini; his cherished wife, Lila Angelini; his beloved sister, Janet Locke; and his step-son Richard Han. He is survived by his children, Peter (Toni) Angelini, Jr. and Michael (Andrea) Angelini and grandchildren Mia (Jack) Fortin, Leo Angelini, Alex Angelini, Livia Angelini, and Luca Angelini; and step-children, Malinda Dobyne, Felton Geer, Jr., and Sheng (Victoria) Han; and step-grandchildren, Jordan (Nicole Medina) Dobyne, Jalia Geer, Ariana Geer, Nico Han, Benjamin Han, and Kai Han; and step-greatgrandchildren Lori Dobyne and Leia Dobyne; and his siblings, John (Jane) Angelini, Kate (Martha Congdon) Angelini, and Martha (Bob) Pike.

Funeral services for Peter will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 9AM Saturday, January 11, 2025 located at 414 North Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts with burial to follow at St. Patrick Cemetery in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Peter's name to St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 414 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.