Margaret Mary LaMora Paoli

The former Margaret Mary LaMora was born on September 26, 1920, in Hancock, a daughter of the late Marie Seraphine and Louis A. LaMora.

She graduated from Hancock Central High in 1938, and lived the majority of her entire life in Hancock.

She was married to Celso H. Paoli of Hancock on June 30, 1942, at St. Joseph-St. Patrick Church, Hancock. He preceded her in death March 10, 2000.

During WWII she worked at Gartner’s Department Store while Celso was in the Army. In 1962, she started to work at Vertin’s Department Store in Houghton, until her retirement in 1978. She then worked at the St. Vincent de Paul store specializing in the window dressings.

She was an active member of St. Joseph-St. Patrick Parish where she was part of the Altar Society and sang in the choir.

As a young mother, she was a Girl Scout leader and a Boy Scout den mother. She and Celso were part of the team instrumental in the parish associating with the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She remained active with the Society for many years several times serving as President of the Society.

At the Church of the Resurrection, she helped organize the funeral ladies, was part of the Shawl ministry, and was also a Eucharistic minister.

Margaret was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Alfred Erickson Post No. 186 for many years, holding leadership positions throughout the years as a member. She was also a member of The Daughters of Italy, where in 2009 she was honored as Daughter of the Year.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, and infant daughter, Rose Marie; two sisters, Lorraine Elsie Blom and Agnes Virginia Michels; three brothers, Clifford Edward LaMora, Robert Charles LaMora and Alfred Louis LaMora.

Surviving are a daughter, Patricia (Eric) Peterson of Carmel, Indiana, and three grandchildren; Karen (Chris) Wolf of Carmel and three great-grandchildren, Michael, Allison and Patrick Wolf; Brian (Kristen) Peterson and four great-grandchildren, Katherine, John Will, Russell and Andrew of Birmingham, Alabama; Jill (Mark) Entner, and two great-grandchildren, Paul and Peter Entner of Huntington Beach, California; son, Charles “Chuck” (Cheryl) of Twin Lakes and two granddaughters, Deana (John) Paoli-Wuori and three great-grandchildren, Charles John (CJ), Mackenzie and Carter of Hancock, and Mandy (Corey) Markham and three great-grandchildren, Daityn, Camden and Kiara of Houghton.

Margaret was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She enjoyed church activities, reading, knitting, crocheting, and dancing, and her latest hobby, jewelry making. Margaret was also a great cook. She will be greatly missed by all.

The family would like to thank the loving and caring staff of Canal View Houghton County for the excellent care Margaret received for the past ten years. They treated her like family.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at a later time at the Church of the Resurrection and will be announced later form the O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home.

Burial will be at Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton, in the spring.

The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home in Hancock is in charge of the arrangements and online condolences may be left for the family at oneilldennisfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul, Hancock, or the Church of the Resurrection.