Continuation of tree (4th child of Francois 'George' Pitre/Antoinette Prieur); all known surname descendants:
9 George Joseph Pitre b: 24 February 1900 Bay City, Bay, MI; d: 14 December 1989 Scottsdale, Maricopa, AZ
+Mary S. Taverne b: 27 July 1902 France; m: 15 May 1928 Essexville, Bay, MI [Ernest/Sophie Lefevre]; d: 18 March 1997 Scottsdale, Maricopa, AZ
10 Catherine M. Pitre b: 15 August 1929 Bay City, Bay, MI; d: 5 October 2012 Bushnell, Sumter, FL
+Norman Delbert Foco b: 2 July 1924 Pinconning, Bay, MI; m: 26 May 1951 Bay City, Bay, MI [Joseph/Anna Shea]; d: 19 November 2015 Bushnell, Sumter, FL
10 Hubert G. Pitre b: 1 December 1932 Bay City, Bay, MI; d: 10 July 2012 Scottsdale, Maricopa, AZ
+Dorothy G. Niedzielski b: Abt. 1934; m: 12 February 1955 [Theodore M./Gertrude S. Klimas]; d: Aft. July 2012
Notes for George Joseph Pitre:
Census
- 1930 Bay City, Bay, Michigan: George J. Pitre 30, wife Mary M. 28, Catherine M. 8 months.
- 1940 Bay City, Bay, MI: George Pitre Jr. 40 grocer/operator own store, wife Mary 37, Katherine 10, Hubert 7, widowed mother-in-law Sophie Demesaye? 65. [1712 Woodside Avenue]
- 1950 Essexville, Bay, MI: George J. Pitre 50 machinist/auto parts plant, wife Mary S. 47 saleslady/knitting mills store, Catherine M. 20 secretary/magnesium foundry, Hurbert G. 17 dairy clerk/milk depot dairy store, widowed mother-in-law Sophie Taverne 74.
World War I registration record: George Joseph Pitre; Bay, MI; born 24 Feb 1900; Antoinette Pitre; medium height, medium build; brown eyes & brown hair.
WWII Records: George Joseph Pitre, res. 1712 Woodside, Bay City, MI; b. 24 Feb 1900 Bay County, MI; contact Mrs. Geo. Pitre Sr. (100 Woodside Ave.); 5' 6 1/2", 168 lbs., hazel eyes & brown hair, light complexion, wears glasses, can't see without them; 16 Feb 1942 Bay City, MI.
Obituary: The Bay City Times (MI), Saturday, 16 December 1989: George Joseph Pitre, 89, Scottsdale, Arizona, formerly of Midland, retired Dow Chemical worker, died Thursday. Services are scheduled Monday at 10 a.m. at St. Daniel Catholic Church in Scottsdale. Messinger Mortuary in Scottsdale is handling arrangements.
Notes for Mary S. Taverne:
Obituary: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), Wednesday, 19 March 1997: Mary S. Pitre, 94, of Scottsdale, a retired retail-sales clerk, died March 18, 1997. She was born in France. Survivors include her daughter, Catherine Foco; son, Bert; seven grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Mass: 10 a.m. Friday, St. Daniel the Prophet Catholic Church, Scottsdale. Contributions: St. Vincent de Paul Society, Phoenix, AZ. Messinger Mortuary and Chapel.
Obituaries for the children:
Catherine M. Pitre: Tombstone Inscription, Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL: FOCO / Norman D. / WT2 USN / World War II / 1924 - 2015 / Catherine M. / 1929 - 2012 / together / forever
Hubert Pitre: Bay City Times (MI): Pitre, Hubert G. (1932-2012) Long time Phoenix area automotive dealer Hubert G. (Bert) Pitre passed away Tuesday morning, July 10th, 2012 at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Pitre seemingly was born to be in the automobile business, selling the family car at age 14. After he graduated from the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, he was a Service Advisor and Used Car Salesman at Garber Buick in Saginaw, Michigan. He saved enough money to eventually open his first dealership, Bert Pitre Chevrolet Cadillac in Greenville, Michigan in 1965. In the early 1970s, General Motors offered Pitre a new Buick franchise in Scottsdale, Arizona. Pitre Buick opened as one of the first dealerships on Scottsdale's Motor Mile in 1973. Pitre's voice was a familiar sound on Phoenix radio stations through the late 1990s with his signature "Hello, this is Bert Pitre" introductions, always ending his radio commercials with a "thank you." Pitre also spoofed popular television commercials of the day to promote his dealerships. From the early 70s through the late 90s, he opened multiple dealerships in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Sun City. His new car franchises included Buick, Pontiac, GMC Truck, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep, Eagle, Kia, Subaru and Isuzu. Pitre was also an early franchisee of Hyundai. By the late 1990s, Pitre employed nearly 500 people. He firmly believed that happy employees meant happy customers and was known by his family of employees to be tough but extraordinarily generous. He received numerous awards for sales performance and customer satisfaction at his dealerships and sat on several dealer councils. He sold his dealerships to Florida-based AutoNation in 1998. The Pitre family name remained on his dealerships for several years thereafter, eventually being renamed Power. The Pitre family name is still represented on his son, Bob's Buick GMC Truck dealership in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Outside of the car business, Pitre enjoyed fishing and was an avid golfer, at one time belonging to five different country clubs and owning ten sets of left-handed clubs. He loved baseball. Originally a Detroit Tigers fan, Pitre was one of the original investors who helped launch the expansion MLB Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Pitre is survived by his wife of 57 years Dorothy (Dody); a daughter, Jan Pitre-Dixon and her husband Dennis of Flagstaff; son Bob Pitre and his wife Mandy of Albuquerque; son Tom Pitre and his wife Libby of Phoenix; and nine grandchildren. A memorial visitation will be held from 6:00pm-8:00pm, with a rosary at 7:00pm, Friday, July 13, 2012 at Messinger Indian School Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Rd., in Scottsdale. A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, July 14, 2012 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 3801 N. Miller Rd., in Scottsdale. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of the Valley , 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, or the ALS Foundation (Lou Gehrig's Disease), 4643 E. Thomas Rd. Suite 1, Phoenix, AZ 85018.
Back one generation to parents of
George Joseph Pitre
Items in RED have been verified against parish register entries.
- Births/Marriages/Deaths in RED without a church have come from the Michigan Return of Births/Marriages/Deaths (Family Search online - actual pages viewable). While births & marriages name parents, deaths list only age & marital status.
- Michigan deaths between 1897-1920 in RED taken from death certificates (online), which may also include birthdate.
Last updated: 18 February 2024.