Michael Joseph Ciaccio

     Michael Joseph Ciaccio was born May 26, 1931 in Rockford, Illinois to Vincent Sam and Antoinette Lena Ciaccio.  He was the fifth of five children.  He met the love of his life Barbara Jean Lawrence and they married on April 11, 1953.  To this union Laura Ann (1955) and Timothy Michael (1958) were born.

      He worked for Sundstrand in Rockford and then moved his family to Fullerton, California in 1969. Through the years he was employed in quality control at McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought out by Boeing in Long Beach, California.

      Mike and Barb loved to travel. They visited Alaska, Europe, Hawaii and Arizona to name a few.  There were many trips to Colorado to visit the grandkids as they loved to drive through the Rocky Mountains.  Mike enjoyed golf.  He was so proud of the Masters shirt and hat his son bought him from a tournament. He loved to golf with his son-in-law because “he can hit a long ball.”

      Mike and Barb celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 11th in the hospital as Barb passed suddenly on April 13, 2013.  Mike’s son, Tim, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia a short time later and passed in March of 2015.  After some soul searching, he made the move to Yuma, Colorado to be with his daughter, son-in-law, grandkids and great grandkids.  The children were the best medicine he could ask for.  He met no stranger in Yuma, as he was accepted with open arms.  He was known as Grandpa California to many.

       He always had a workshop and made many wooden airplanes and boats among other things.  He made cars for the children at St. Jude Hospital.  He was a volunteer there and a patient made him a special wooden cross that he took to bed every night while he said his prayers.

      His love of life and his independence were taken away after a four-year struggle with COPD.  On May 11th he went to be with Jesus, his wife and his son.  He will be truly missed every day.

      He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Vita, three brothers, Alex, Frank and Tom, numerous in-laws, his loving wife Barbara, and son Timothy.

       He is survived by his daughter Laura (Randy) of Yuma, Colorado; grandchildren Lisa Brown (Tyson) of Yuma, Colorado; Erin Ross (Ben) of Aurora, Colorado; Christina Ciaccio of Reno, Nevada; Michael Ciaccio (Shannon) of Laguna Hills, California; and Steven Ciaccio of California; and six great-grandchildren, Max Brown, Mya Brown, Noah Brown, Mason Ross, Savannah Moore and Brooklyn Moore.

      Funeral services will be held at St. John’s Catholic Church in Yuma on May 16th at 11.00 a.m.  Inurnment will be on May 25th at Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton California.

      Memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society.

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