Louis “Louie” Dalpaos, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at the age of 89 years.
He was born on January 31, 1932 in Kincaid, IL to Louis and Della (nee: Venzon) Dalpaos. The family later relocated to Kenosha where his father passed away when Louie was 7 years old. His mother later married Henry Tovo, affectionately referred to as “Pa”.
While growing up in Kenosha, Louie met the love of his life, Dorothy Santiloni, at Washington Jr. High School, which they both attended. They married in February 1952, and their love story has continued to be written for almost 70 years. Together, they brought their love and dedication into raising two sons and two daughters, and shared the joys of their expanding family.
As a teen, one of Louie’s first jobs was at the Kenosha Airport working with his Venzon uncles and their love of flying. He graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School and acquired post-graduate training in the engineering field sponsored by the Eaton Corporation. During his 39 year career with the Dynamatic Division in Kenosha, he held positions of Purchasing Agent and Panel Designer.
Louie was an accomplished artist in many mediums but his creativity and craftsmanship was most apparent in the numerous woodworking/carving projects he created. Some of his most notable plans included designing and building the entire kitchen cabinetry in their home, his display concept of wooden artist palettes that he made for the Gateway Rose Society, which were used by them for prizewinning roses. Both he and Dorothy were long-time members. Louie took great pride in his own rose garden that he designed and maintained- often submitting his own entries to the society.
Other gifted talents Louie had included carving birds and duck decoys, a highly detailed miniature replica of a whale, constructing a wooden rocking horse, and a RC Piper Club model airplane, as well as many other imaginative woodworking projects.
Louie is survived by the devoted love of his life, his wife Dorothy; his sons, David (Janet) Dalpaos, Mark Dalpaos; his daughters, Cynthia Dalpaos and Kathy (Terry) Nordquist; his eight grandchildren, John (Danica) Dalpaos, Margaret (Garrett) Childers, James Dalpaos, Annie (Clennon) Steele, Abbe (Rob) Maurer, Sam Kocol, Jacob (Yana Pusich) Nordquist, Mellisa (Danny) Hodgekiss; his eight great-grandchildren, Lana Dalpaos, George and Edith Childers, Preston and Remington Steele, and Theo, Nadia, Lydia Hodgekiss; his sister, Carol (Tovo) Murphy; his brother, Edward (Marie) Tovo; his sister-in-law, Mary (Keefner) Santiloni; his nieces and nephews, too numerous to mention but dear to his heart.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Della; his step-father; his mother-in-law, Palmira Santiloni and his father-in-law, Joseph Santiloni, Sr.; his sisters-in-law, Caroline Ulmer and Joyce Frederick; his brothers-in-law, Joseph Santiloni, Chris Ulmer, Jack Frederick and Tom Murphy.