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Antonio Carta

November 25, 1925 - June 13, 2015
Livonia, MI

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Visitation

Tuesday, June 16, 2015
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Turowski Life Story Funeral Homes
Livonia, West of Middlebelt
30200 Five Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48154
(734) 525-9020
Driving Directions

Visitation

Wednesday, June 17, 2015
2:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Turowski Life Story Funeral Homes
Livonia, West of Middlebelt
30200 Five Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48154
(734) 525-9020

Scripture Service 7pm

Driving Directions

Service

Thursday, June 18, 2015
10:00 AM EDT
St. Priscilla Catholic Church
19120 Purlingbrook
Livonia, MI 48152

In State 9:30am

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Nuns in Sassari, Italy

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS - Please direct all monetary donations to the family and they will forward to the charity above.

Life Story / Obituary


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All who knew Antonio Carta would agree that he was extraordinary in every way. A stranger was never a stranger for long if Antonio was around, and his generosity extended to all who were near. He had the amazing ability of making everyone feel as though they were his favorite, and his unconditional love was unmatched. It was no secret that he was married to the love of his life, and together they witnessed their family tree blossom to include numerous branches of loved ones who were his greatest source of pride and joy. In addition to his generosity, Antonio was known for his unwavering Catholic faith that was the compass he used to direct his steps. Life will never be the same without him here, but his spirit will remain alive and well in the hearts and lives of all who were blessed to know and love him.

Amidst the great unrest in Italy during the 1920s, there was much to celebrate in the lives of Giuseppe Michele and Michela Bonaria (Cherchi) Carta as they celebrated the birth of their baby boy on November 25, 1925, in the small town of Benetutti, Sardegna, Italy. Named after St. Anthony, Antonio Michele was devoted to St. Anthony for his entire life. He was one of six children in his family and was raised alongside his siblings, Michela, Pietro, Francesco, Pinuccio, Teresa, and Paolino.

In 1926, the Carta family moved to Sassari so that Antonio and his siblings could go to school. His family owned farmlands in Sassari on Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and Via Arborea. Later, they moved to Zuari near Via Buddi Buddi. Antonio only completed seven years of school, but he worked the farm in Italy and always had a passion for figuring out how things worked mechanically. For this reason, he could make anything work more efficiently. Antonio loved taking the train to Sassari every Saturday to get enough magazines and newspapers to keep him busy since he loved reading. When he was 18, his love for playing with fire and fireworks finally caught up with him, which cost him half of his thumb.

Life was forever changed for Antonio when he met the woman with whom he would write a love story that would span 52 years. Her name was Silvana, and they met in 1960. They began dating and were married in 1962, deeply in love. They celebrated by going to Rome the following day.

On October 23, 1966, Antonio and Silvana moved to America with their young family that included their three children, Loredana, Rossana, and Alessandra, who was just eight months at the time. Because Alessandra was in a baby carrier, the taxi driver assumed she was a piece of luggage and tried to put her in the trunk. Although Antonio knew next to no English, he was able to frantically say, “Baby, Baby!” Their two additional children, Roberto and Paulette, were born in America. They settled into a home on Powers Avenue in Dearborn Heights until 1998, and Antonio worked at Ford Motor Company at the Woodhaven Stamping Plant from December of 1967 until he retired in the spring of 1985. Then, he was part owner and worked at Taylor Building Supply with Roberto and Loredana until 1990. Throughout his life Antonio had a strong work ethic. In 1998, they built a new home in Livonia. Although it was hard to move from their home on Powers, their home on Cross Winds proved to be an even better home for hosting their family as it was always the place everyone gathered. People were forever coming and going, and everyone was always welcome no matter what it took to accommodate them, especially when family and friends came from Italy.

Life was always a bustle of activity in the Carta home. Sundays found them at St. Sebastian Catholic Church followed by a trip to Marino’s Bakery to get the week’s supply of bread – usually 16 loaves - half of which Antonio ate himself. Then they ate the dinner that Silvana had waiting for them, and Antonio’s plate was always overly full. He was the one who took his children trick or treating after going to Federal Department Store for their annual contest. One year they even won with their traditional Sardinian costumes homemade by Silvana. When the Ford plant closed every summer, they were able to spend 45 days in Italy in the house that Antonio was raised in. It was such a memorable time filled with learning more about his homeland while creating strong bonds with all of the Carta families since they all lived in Italy. These trips were always vitally important to Antonio, and just this past February he celebrated his 100th journey. He hosted an agriturismo dinner extravaganza when he wrote a special speech that he read to all the Carta families at a luncheon. Antonio’s speech highlighted the importance of family unity. He went on to say that the only Cartas he had in America were the ones he fathered, which is why he visited so often. Beginning in 2006, he would also rent a house for a week on Torch Lake that accommodated all 21 of the Cartas. These vacations were some of his most treasured times because all his children and grandchildren were together.

Everyone always loved being at Antonio’s. Holidays were always spent with family and there was always more than enough food to go around. Antonio wanted people over whether there was an occasion or not, and he never hesitated to ask his kids if the little ones could sleepover and was sad if it ended up being a school night and they couldn’t come. As his family grew and needed more space in the house, Antonio put his handyman skills to work building the dormer upstairs to accommodate everyone. He also finished the basement for all the great family parties that he and Silvana frequently hosted. He also added an extra bathroom there so they finally had two bathrooms for their family of seven. Sausage making was also a huge family event when everyone got together at Antonio’s house. Always resourceful, he invented a press to help with the drying process and also installed a motor on the hand crank machine. Because he always wanted his wife by his side, Antonio was right in the kitchen making Casadine, Pappassini, or Gnocchi right alongside Silvana. Of course he was always making inventions to simplify these things, too. To complete his projects, he frequented Home Depot to buy plywood. In fact, he made so many banquet tables that everyone in his family, his children, and his children’s friends all had them. When someone came from Italy for a visit, the first stop on their tour was Home Depot or Forest City.

Antonio was a man who knew what he liked. He did not require many things except air conditioning, fans, crossword puzzles, and RAI TV. The house in Livonia had to have RAI functioning BEFORE he moved in, and Antonio was quick to get a whole house generator to make sure that his creature comforts would always work during a storm. Every evening he could be found doing Italian crossword puzzles since everyone always brought back dozens of puzzle books for him when they went to Italy. When he worked on them, Antonio sat at the kitchen table with his special lamp, magnifying glass, and two pencils - one for writing and one for marking the page in the back of the book with all the answers! As his family and friends can attest, his siesta after lunch was critical. If there was a family party at 1:00 p.m., then lunch was at 11 a.m. with a one-and-a-half hour siesta at 11:30. Antonio was a card player who played Tre Sette with his brothers-in-law, and he played Euchre with anyone who was willing. He could play for hours on end, which is how his family got him to stay late at family parties. When he traveled he always brought his own food, and he never ate hospital food since he called his wife as early as seven in the morning to put in his food order for the day! Antonio and his wife loved traveling, and even as they aged they continued making the trip back to Sardegna. Later in life he had routines that he was insistent upon, although they did bring a few laughs to his family at times.

Antonio was known for his Catholic faith. Over the years he was thrilled to see seven popes. He went to many churches throughout Italy, and his favorite saints were Padre Pio and St. Anthony, which he would call for whenever he was not feeling well. For the past several years, Antonio listened to the Internet radio station of the Italian rosary performed by young children broadcast from different churches throughout Italy. His mother always gave donations to the nuns in Sassari, Italy, which is a tradition that he continued even when he and Silvana didn’t have much to spare. Every time he went to Italy he always stopped by to see them. Antonio’s children and wife will continue on with these special donations that the nuns use to provide for the less fortunate in Sardegna.

Loving, passionate, and generous, Antonio Carta was a blessing to everyone he met. By the way he lived his life he taught others that happiness is not found in what we have, but that it is in the love we share with others that we are richly blessed. Antonio and his wife exemplified what marriage is truly intended to be, and he considered it his greatest gift to have Silvana by his side to share his every step, every decision, and every flight. Antonio’s zest for life was contagious, and his family was his greatest source of pride and joy. He had the best sense of humor and an infectious laughter that drew others near with ease. Antonio will be deeply missed but never forgotten by those too numerous to count.

Antonio Michele Carta died on June 13, 2015. Beloved Husband of Silvana. Loving Babbo of Loredana (Jim), Rossana (Tony), Alessandra (Pete), Roberto (Lisa), and Paulette. Cherished Nonno of James, Tony, Gina, Juliana, Alexis, Giuliano, Isabella, Antonio, Domenic, Olivia. Dearest Brother of Paolino (Marisa) and the late Michela, Pietro, Francesco, Pinuccio, Teresa. Dear uncle and friend to many in America and in Italy. Visitation Tuesday 4-8pm & Wednesday 2-8pm with Scripture Service 7pm at our Neely-Turowski Life Story Funeral Home; 30200 Five Mile Rd. Funeral Mass 10:00am (in state 9:30am) at St. Priscilla Catholic Church 19120 Purlingbrook St. in Livonia. Entombment St. Hedwig Cemetery. www.TurowskiLifeStory.com

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