by:Joe LaFurgey
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — News 8 reports that former U.S. ambassador, West Michigan businessman and philanthropist, Peter Secchia has died. He was 83.
A family spokesperson said that Secchia died at home Wednesday morning, surrounded by his family.
Peter Secchia's story reads like an American Dream: building a small business into a multimillion-dollar company, serving his country during an event that would change the course of history and giving back to his community not only by writing checks, but also promoting a spirit of giving.
Secchia was born in New Jersey on April 15, 1937. After
Mr. Secchia served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the late 1950s, and earned a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University, an institution that decades later would benefit from Secchia’s love of the green and white in ways no one could have imagined.
The Secchia's, Peter and wife Joan donated millions to move MSU’s School of Human Medicine to Grand Rapids as part of the Medical Mile.
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