Obituary of Ralph J Lamantia Jr

Ralph J. Lamantia, Jr, “Bud”, 74, passed away from a heart attack at his home on September 9th 2024. He was the son of Ralph J Lamantia Sr. and Ann Pellerito Lamantia, both deceased. Left to remember him with love and so many stories are his sister Cathy Cimo (Angelo), brother David LaMantia (Anna Brown), several nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, a large extended family of Pellerito's, Basile’s and Lamantia’s, many loyal friends, and his devoted dog, Tater. Bud’s early education was at Saint James School. Most likely many of those nuns had premature gray hair under their habits from Bud! He was a member of JHS class of 68 and joined the US Air Force that year, training at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois. While stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, during the Vietnam years, he worked as base supply officer and was also a radio personality, broadcasting to the Travis Base personnel. Upon his discharge as Staff Sergeant in 1975, Bud went on to earn a degree in communications from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. For about 25 years Bud was in partnership with his brother David at Homescapes Builders. Following that, he oversaw property maintenance at Portage Hill Apartments in Mayville until his retirement. With his background in communications and his penchant for vocabulary that came from our dad, Bud became a “word guy”, embellishing his stories at length, with each re-tell becoming more and more detailed, adding, of course, some of his own creative terms interspersed with “etcetera” or “thingamabob” or even “Di-dit-dit-dit”, with much eye rolling from the listener. Bud was very resourceful. He could find a use, or anticipated use, for items that others would discard, which led to many piles of “plans for the future” around his property, but also many creative and functional finished products. Bud was a man with a deep heart and loyalty for his Sister and Brother, Nieces and Nephews, his close friends, and animals. Arrangements entrusted to Riccardi’s Hubert Funeral Home. The family will celebrate Bud at a remembrance gathering to be announced at a future date. Send a condolence by visiting www.hubertfuneralhome.com