Arthur Alan Antilla

Arthur Alan Antilla, 75, of Belvidere, IL passed away on May 19, 2018 after a long illness.  Arthur is predeceased by his parents, Arthur Frank Antilla (Evelyn) and Marie Herakovich. Art is survived by his loving wife, Lorie (DeWitt) of 27 years, his previous wife, Shirley (Lunde); his sons, Mark (Annemarie) and Andrew; his two grandchildren, Allison and Alex, their mother Holly (Noland); and his sister Maria Antilla. 

Art was born in Minneapolis, MN, on January 2, 1943 and moved to Seattle, WA as a young teen.  He graduated from Puyallup High School and enlisted in the US Army in 1961 where he was stationed in Mineral Wells, TX.  An elusive goal of Art’s was to become an airline pilot, like his dad.  Although he had over 1,000 flying hours, the requirements kept changing due to the end of the Vietnam war and he could never reach that goal.

Art was hired by United Airlines in Seattle, on April 25, 1966 where he worked as a Customer Service Agent before transferring to Washington Dulles Airport.  He retired in 2003 completing 37 years of service.  After his retirement, he supported his wife’s career, who is also with United Airlines, relocating to Charlotte, NC and then on to Chicago, IL.  Art was extremely proud of his sons; Mark, who also joined United and currently works in the Cargo Division and Andy, who works with great apes at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Art will be remembered for his love of the water, whether he was on it or in it.  He loved to swim and ski (both water and snow) and boat.  Even though he loved planes, he preferred to get in the car and go, often refusing to stop for roadside historical markers and bathroom breaks.

Per his request, there will be no immediate services, although a celebration of his life is being discussed for this coming summer. 

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