Michael Bellettiere was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, mentor, and friend whose life was defined by his Catholic faith, quiet strength, incredible patience, and fierce devotion to his family.

Mike was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Patricia “Pat” Bellettiere; his parents, Peter and Charlotte Bellettiere; and his siblings, Gloria and Pete.

He is survived by his daughter, Tricia Bellettiere; his granddaughter, Bianca Baratti Vaughan, her husband, Corey Vaughan, and their daughter, Valley Rose, his first great-granddaughter; his son, Michael Bellettiere, his wife, Tammy, and their children, Abbey Bellettiere and Joseph Bellettiere; his sister, Diane Kuyper; and many loving relatives and dear friends.

Mike spent nearly his entire life alongside the love of his life, Patricia “Pat” Bellettiere. They met as teenagers and went on to build an amazing life together, one filled with family, travel, adventures, fishing, gardens, days on the lake, and countless memories gathered over a lifetime.

In his younger years, Mike rode motorcycles and had a love for fast cars, something his family likes to think may have been part of what caught Pat’s attention all those years ago. Throughout his working life, Mike was never afraid of hard work. He worked as a butcher and in the trucking industry and was a member of the Chicago Truck Drivers Union before eventually finding a career he truly enjoyed in real estate.

As a real estate broker, Mike found a profession perfectly suited to his natural ability to connect with people. He made connections with people throughout Arkansas and genuinely enjoyed the relationships he formed along the way. It was also through this chapter of his life that he met his very close friend, David Dow. Mike was easy to talk to, always willing to listen, and carried the kind of calm, steady presence that made people comfortable around him.

After building much of their life in Illinois, Mike and Pat eventually retired to Arkansas. Wisconsin also held a special place in Mike’s heart, particularly the summers spent at Rock River Leisure Estates. Those summers became part of the fabric of their family’s life and the setting for many memories that would be carried forward for generations.

Mike and Pat truly enjoyed the life they built together. They traveled, fished, planted gardens, spent time on the lake, and had a lot of fun along the way. More than anything, they enjoyed doing life together. Their love story began when they were teenagers and continued through every season that followed.

Pat passed away in June of 2025 after a lifetime spent by Mike’s side. Her absence was deeply felt. He missed her tremendously, and his family finds comfort in believing that their separation was only temporary. The two teenagers who chose one another all those years ago are together again, reunited in eternal life.

Together, Mike and Pat raised two children, Michael and Tricia, and Mike took care of his family fiercely.

His daughter, Tricia, knew him as a father who showed up. When she was young, Mike bought her a mini bike and would take her to ride behind the factories with her best friend and her friend’s dad. It is one of those memories that may have seemed simple at the time but came to represent something much bigger: a father who wanted his daughter to experience life, have fun, and always know that Dad was there.

Mike shared many interests with his son, Michael, particularly fishing and gun collecting. He passed down much of his knowledge to his son and taught him many things throughout his life. Mike especially loved the summers when Michael, his wife Tammy, and their children, Abbey and Joseph, would come to visit. Those visits brought camping, fishing, time outdoors, and the simple pleasure of being together as a family. They became treasured memories and another part of the life Mike built around the people he loved.

As Abbey and Joseph grew older, Mike was proud of the paths they were creating for themselves. He was proud of Abbey for attending the University of Central Arkansas and proud of Joseph for his many accomplishments in band. He loved watching his grandchildren grow and seeing the things they worked hard to achieve.

Mike’s first grandchild, Bianca Baratti Vaughan, shared an especially close bond with him. To Bianca, he was far more than Grandpa. He helped raise her, guided her, protected her, and filled the role of a father in her life. Some of their most treasured memories were made around the water, fishing at the lake, shooting apples for target practice, and Grandpa teaching Bianca how to drive a boat. Even when she hit the family dock a few times while learning, Mike never got angry.

In fact, Mike rarely got angry at all. His family knew that if Mike was truly angry, there was probably a very good reason. His patience and steady nature made the people he loved feel safe.

Years later, Mike experienced the special joy of becoming a great-grandfather for the first time to Valley Rose. He adored Valley Rose and loved spending time with her. The two had their own little way of making each other laugh. Mike would make silly noises at Valley Rose, and she would make them right back at him. Their playful exchanges became something uniquely theirs. Valley Rose may be young, but she will grow up hearing the stories of her great-grandpa and knowing how very much he loved her.

Whether it was building a beautiful life with Pat from their teenage years through a lifetime of adventures, taking Tricia to ride her mini bike, fishing and camping with Michael, Tammy, Abbey, and Joseph, watching Abbey and Joseph grow into their own accomplishments, teaching Bianca how to drive a boat, or making silly noises with Valley Rose, Mike gave the people he loved memories that were uniquely theirs.

Through all of those generations, one thing remained constant. Mike took care of his family fiercely.

That same steady nature was reflected in his faith.

Mike was a devout Catholic and spent a great deal of time at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church in Mountain Home. His Catholic faith was an important part of the life he and Pat shared. Together, they helped others navigate their own journeys within the Catholic Church, and Mike offered mentorship, guidance, and encouragement to others in their faith.

He did not have to be the loudest person in the room to make an impact. Mike listened. He encouraged. He taught. He helped. Whether someone needed guidance in their faith, advice about life, knowledge he had gathered over the years, or simply someone willing to listen, Mike was there.

His presence was easy and steady.

And there was one answer his family heard from him more than almost any other.

“Okay, Honey.”

Mike was never particularly good at telling the girls in his life no. A question, a problem, an idea, or a request was so often met with those familiar words.

Over the years, “Okay, Honey” came to mean much more than an answer.

It meant, I’m listening.

We’ll figure it out.

I’ve got you.

And he did.

Above everything else, Mike loved his family. He loved Pat. He loved his children. He loved his grandchildren and his great-granddaughter. He loved the life they had all created together, and he spent his life making sure the people he loved were taken care of.

That devotion remained with him until the very end.

As Mike’s life was drawing to a close, while speaking with the chaplain, his thoughts remained with the people he had spent his lifetime protecting.

“But what about the girls?”

Even at the end, Mike was still thinking about his family. It was a final reflection of the way he had lived his entire life, loving, protecting, and caring for the people who mattered most to him.

His family will miss the questions they could always call him to ask, the fishing trips, the lakes and gardens, the summer days in Wisconsin, his stories, his guidance, and the familiar voice that so often answered them with:

“Okay, Honey.”

Those two simple words represented so much of who Mike was. He listened. He helped. He showed up. He gave his family the kind of love and security that does not disappear when someone leaves this earth.

Mike leaves behind a family who will deeply miss his steady presence, his guidance, his patience, his stories, and the unmistakable love with which he cared for them throughout his life.

There is tremendous sadness in saying goodbye to Mike, but there is also peace in knowing that after a lifetime of loving Pat and deeply missing her after she was gone, he is back where his heart wanted to be.

Beside Pat.

Together again, reunited in eternal life, just as they had been side by side for nearly a lifetime.

“Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me

all the days of my life;

I will dwell in the house of the LORD

for endless days.”

Psalm 23:6

The family would like to extend a special and heartfelt thank you to Mike’s entire hospice team for the compassion, dignity, and care they provided throughout his final journey. The family is especially grateful to his caregivers, Tyler and Lameta, for their devoted care, kindness, patience, and the comfort they provided to Mike and his family.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Mike and Pat’s memory to Alzheimer’s Disease Research, a program of the BrightFocus Foundation, supporting research into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Memorial donations may be mailed to: BrightFocus Foundation; 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871.

Funeral Mass will be held Friday, September 11, 2026, at 3 PM at St. Joseph Catholic Church; 343 Catholic Point Rd., Center Ridge, AR 72027. Visitation with the family will follow the Funeral Mass.

Cremation arrangements by A Natural State Funeral Service 2620 West Main Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas 72076. 501-982-3400. Online guestbook available at www.anaturalstatefuneralservice.com