Domenic A. Michela, 87, of Duluth, and a former  longtime Bessemer and Ironwood, Mich. resident, died Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth.      Domenic was born Sept. 18, 1922 in Bessemer Township, Mich.. He was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Dell'Acqua) Michela. He graduated  from A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer in 1941. He went on to attend  the College of St. Thomas and Marquette University.     Domenic was called to military service on March 18, 1943. He proudly  served during World War II in General George S. Patton's Third Army and  Company A 7th Engineer Battalion where he landed on Normandy Beach on the  third day of the invasion in June 1944. Amongst other military awards and  citations, he received five Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart for wounds  received  in Germany on March 3, 1945.     Following his honorable discharge on Oct. 1, 1945, he returned to  Bessemer where he worked for his family's business, the Michela Coal and  Dock Company, which his father began. Upon his father's death in June of  1956, Domenic operated both the main office in Bessemer and the coal  dock, located in Washburn, Wis. until 1960 when the Michela Company was  purchased by Peabody Coal Company. Peabody retained him as the dock  manager until its closure in 1970. Domenic was then employed by Arrowhead Equipment Company of Duluth until his retirement in 1982.     He was married to the former Genevieve M. Shea on Aug. 23, 1947 at  St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Ironwood by the late Msgr. J.B. Moriarity. Dom and Gen raised their family in Ironwood and resided there until moving to Duluth in 2006.      Dom was a current member of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in  Ironwood and a former member of St. Ambrose and Holy Trinity Catholic Churches. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans and VFW Post 3673 in Bessemer, and a former member of American Legion Post 58  in Hurley, Wis.     Domenic loved the Upper Peninsula. He and Genevieve especially enjoyed spending their summers at their summer home on Lake Gogebic. He enjoyed golfing, hunting, fishing, boating, and a good game of cribbage.  He and Gen also enjoyed the 16 winters they spent in Arizona. Dom especially enjoyed the time spent with his sister Jean, her husband Ted  Lepore, and their three daughters. The Michela and Lepore families shared  many good times together.     Surviving are his wife, Genevieve, Duluth; three children, Margaret  (Martin) Celeski, Ironwood; Joseph (Vicky) Michela and Paula (James)  Fredrickson, both of Duluth; grandchildren, Laurie Celeski, Ironwood,  Carla (John) Fesnick, Eden Prairie; Kristina (Brian Kershaw), Ryan, (Katie Pettit), Kyle and Scott Michela, and Erica (Andrew) Williams, all  of Duluth; great-grandchildren, Nicole and Dylan Taivalmaa, Andrew  Celeski and Caitlyn Fesnick, Evan Williams and Wyatt Pettit; a brother,  Lawrence (Lorraine) Michela, Tomah, Wis.; a sister, Jean (Ted) Lepore,  Hurley; a brother-in-law, John Daniel Shea, Des Plaines, Ill.; a  sister-in-law, Marilyn Bollinger, Norridge, Ill.; and numerous nieces and nephews.        Besides his parents, Domenic was preceded in death by a son, Charles  Lawrence Michela, on Aug. 13, 1972.       A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of Peace  Catholic Church in Ironwood on Jan. 4th at 11 A.M. with the Rev. Darryl J. Pepin, celebrant.      Rite of Committal will take place in the St. Joseph Family Room with full military honors accorded by representatives of the Bessemer VFW Post 3673, Luther L. Wright High School JROTC, and  the Ironwood American Legion Post 5 Honor Guard.       A luncheon will follow in the parish hall.       Spring burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Ironwood.       Visitation will be in Our Lady of Peace's St. Joseph Family Room from  10 to 11 A.M. prior to Mass on Monday.      Pallbearers will be Ryan, Kyle and Scott Michela, Andrew Celeski,  Dylan Taivalmaa, Andrew Williams, Steve Balasz, and Art Dailey.      In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Schulze Diabetes Institute, MMC 280, 420 Delaware St. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455     To view Domenic's obituary online, sign the guest book, and express  condolences visit mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com.      Arrangements are entrusted to McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home Inc.,  Ironwood.