Michael Maat Salatino

Obituary Mike Salatino On Sunday, October 3rd, Mike left this world quietly and peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends, just as he had wished. Mike was born February 5th 1942 at Tacoma General Hospital to Art and Marie Salatino, the first of their three children and their only son. Mike was always an enthusiastic businessman which started when he was a top newspaper carrier for the Seattle P.I. in grade school. His successful business ventures included "The Fruit Stand" and "The Garden Shoppe" throughout the ‘70s on the Key Peninsula. During that time, Mike served on the original Gig Harbor Comprehensive Planning Citizens' Advisory Committee, launching his long involvement in community matters. He was approached to join the Key Peninsula Civic Center Association and first held the office of vice-president. Then he served as president for two years and remained an active board member thereafter. His intense participation in Key Peninsula daily happenings was slowed only a little when he took his business enthusiasm to Harold Meyer Drug in Tacoma on 11th and "K" Street (now Martin Luther King, Jr.) and was soon president of the K Street Boosters Association. After '87, Mike "retired" to "The Farm" and threw his energy full time again in the Key Peninsula community. His innovations provided the community for many years with a "you pick" farm that offered everything from veggie starts in the spring all the way to a pumpkin patch in October. Besides that, he raised pigs and chickens and sold eggs and honey. Mike served as a commissioner for the Key Peninsula Parks and Recreation District and was the driving force to change that district to a Metro Park District, which increased the revenue needed to improve the park system. The Key Peninsula Community Fair was Mike's brain-child and he reached out to several other community activists to make the fair a reality which brought the entire Key Peninsula together with a common goal in mind. For 40 years he was a proud member of the Christopher Columbus Society of Tacoma where he orchestrated Columbus Day celebrations that where the chief fundraising effort for the Society's scholarship program. He started a separate Italian Scholarship Committee that helped several students over the years also. With all his various civic activities, the dearest to his heart was the "Salatino Senior Christmas Dinner". Supported by his wife and daughter, his idea of hosting a party with food and gifts for senior citizens who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day has become a 30 year tradition with the help of many friends. His hope was that it would continue on in his memory. Mike is survived by his wife, Joyce, of 43 years, their daughter, Angela (Dale) McKee and his grandsons, Ryan and Carson. A private burial took place at the Vaughn Cemetery. A reception to celebrate and remember Mike will be at the Key Peninsula Civic Center at 2:00PM on Tuesday, October 12th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Compassion & Choices, www.CompassionWa.org.