George Michael Campetti, known as “Mike” to family and friends, passed from this life at the age of 75 due to complications from Covid-19.
Mike as born July 7, 1945 in Ranger, Texas to Ralph Campetti and Oconita “Billie” Fry, but grew up and attended school in Fort Worth. Mike joined the Army and proudly served his country as a helicopter crewman in Korea and Viet Nam.
Growing up Mike use to scavenge for milk and soda bottles, which he sold to buy wooden airplanes. This childhood interest in planes continued throughout his life graduating from his wooden planes to building and flying remote controlled airplanes. A life-long dream of his was to one day obtain his private pilot’s license, which he achieved in 1997. The following year he bought a 1946 Aeronca Chief taildragger and spent many hours flying the skies over Hood and surrounding counties as well as attending airshows and fly-ins in Texas and Oklahoma, until he was forced to stop flying due to health issues.
Mike is survived by his wife, soul-mate and best friend of almost 28 years, Gail Campetti, his daughter and son-in-law, Stacey and Brian Stocks of Halton City, his son and daughter-in-law, Adam Campetti and wife, Lisa of Arlington; his step-son and wife, Michael and Wendy Hale of Austin, his brother and sister-in-law, Domecq and Peach Smith of Rahway, New Jersey, his step-brother Butch Smith and wife Shirley of Fort Worth, his grandsons: Spencer and Grayson Elliott, Wyatt and Pierson Campetti; granddaughters, Leah Campetti, Avery Hale and Piper Hale, the mother of his children, Sheri Dunlap and husband, Doug, along with two nephews, one niece, numerous brothers-in law, sisters-in-law and friends.
Mike was preceded in death by his father Ralph Campetti, his mother, Billie Smith, his adopted brother Dion Smith, his aunt Betty Jo Bennett and his mother-in-law, Rita Davidson.
Special affection and sincere gratitude to all the dialysis personnel at DaVita and Fresenius Kidney Center who attended to Mike’s dialysis needs for the past ten years, as well as to the nurses and doctors at Lake Granbury Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas for their compassionate care of Mike during his last few days here on earth.
A memorial service will be held later in the spring, since Mike didn’t like the “cold” weather, at the DFW National Cemetery.