Peter Paul Filippi

Jody Hane2021-03-13T20:53:16-06:00

Name: Peter Paul Filippi
Location of Birth: Keewatin, Mnnesota
Date of Birth: March 4, 1918
Date of Death: March 31, 1996 (78 years old)
Parents: Peter and Josephine Filippi
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Branch: Army
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World War II

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News article written by Bill Proznik from Eastern Itascan newspaper, dated April 4, 1996:
"For Pete's sake! The community has lost a great citizen
Kelly, City of Keewatin didn't get to tell Pete "Goodbye"
Keewatin Mayor Daniel said he's saddened that he didn't get to tell Pete Filippi "Goodbye" after learning that the long-time Keewatinite passed away the afternoon of March 31.
"That's the thing I'm upset at most," Kelly said. "Pete did so much for the City of Keewatin and its youth. There's not a thing Pete wouldn't have done for anyone in his heyday."
The thing that's most shocking is that Pete Filippi seemed healthy during the City of Keewatin Christmas party in mid-December. He ate lunch and joked around and told sports stories, and didn't complain of bad health.
In fact he said he went to the doctor and received a bill of clean health. A week later, he was stuck down with what many said was Alzheimer's Disease and he never was able to bounce back.
Pete Filippi was the City of Keewatin's Recreation Director for many years and was instrumental in bring two VFW baseball tournaments to the City in the 1970's.
"Richard Nyhus and I had coffee with Pete every morning at the café for a long time," Kelly said. "He used to come into City Hall every morning and just chat. But in recent years he stopped making those visits and would end up going either to The Store or to the Men's or Senior Citizen Club."
Like the other members in the Filippi family, Pete had a lot of love for people. He, like everyone else in his family, had a drive to work hard and do the best they could do all the time, no matter what the task they took on.
Pete's favorite stories seemed to be in his younger days when he went to Florida and was on a professional boxing circuit. He was one of the area's top fight promoters and was heavily involved in Golden Gloves boxing.
"This entire town is going to miss Pete," Richard Nyhus, the City's Supervisor, said. "No one can ever do the job he did.
"We're trying, though, " Kelly said. "We have a couple of guys who have taken over the rec programs and are doing a good job. But Pete took on a lot of responsibility and was always down at the fields, he was the one that was instrumental in bringing the bleachers from the old football field to the baseball park."
Joe Marolt said, "Pete was very community minded and did a lot to help the youths, he loved kids, but he loved everyone. He'd go out of his way to help.
"All you can say about Pete that he was civic minded, loved his community and would do anything for it.
"We're going to miss him, After he was sick, it seemed real strange not to see him around town because before his illness he'd be everywhere. He was interested in everything and would want to help out in any way he could.
"Words can't describe how valuable of a man he was to this community."
"There's a void here that will never be filled with Pete's passing," Kelly said. "I'll miss Pete. He was a very, very close friend and I loved him dearly. I was shocked when he had gotten sick.
"But I truly admired him and I, like everyone else will miss him dearly."

Peter worked as a security guard at the M. A. Hanna Mining Company. He also was a local professional sports promoter and professional boxer.

Peter was a member of VFW Post 5516, American Legion Post 452, Senior Citizens Club, and the Moose Club, all of Keewatin, Minnesota.

He was the first recipient of the JC Penney Golden Rule Award.

Peter had served as the regional director for Golden Gloves Boxing and was a past state professional boxing commissioner. The Keewatin athletic field was renamed in his honor for his years of volunteer work.

Peter is survived by his wife, Avis; a daughter, Susan Moody; two sons, Terry and Kevin; three brothers, Deo, Pat, and Louie; two sisters, Catherine Piccolo and Pasquina Maculan; and two grandchildren.

Peter died in the Ah-Gwah-Ching Nursing Home in Walker, Minnesota and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery at Hibbing, Minnesota. (Maplehill-5-285-5w). No photo of grave marker is available at this time.

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