John Amato

John Amato of Jupiter, FL, previously of Brookfield, WI, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on April 1, 2023 at the age of 98. John is survived by his loving wife of 71 years, Phyllis (nee Ferretti). Beloved father of JoAnn (Scot) Stewart, Susan, John (Cindy) and Dianne (Dan) Chase. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. John was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He served in the US Army, World War II, European Theater. After returning from the war, he started his career in the automobile business. After several years of selling cars in the Chicago area, he opened his first dealership, Frank-John Ford in Grayslake, IL in 1957. In 1962, he moved to Milwaukee and opened what would become Southgate Ford. By the mid-1970’s, he had built one of Wisconsin’s largest and most respected Ford dealerships. Still his long term dream was to own and operate a General Motors franchise. His dream came true in 1980 when he opened Amato Oldsmobile. Like his previous dealerships, it was soon recognized as one of the consistent leaders, not only in sales, but overall service and customer satisfaction. After 30 gratifying years, he took a step back, but always continued to provide his expertise to the organization. Today, the Amato Automotive Group is now over 60 years old and is still flourishing with seven companies. John also served on several boards – banking, WI automobile dealers, and dealers of mega-Milwaukee. In 1990 he and Phyllis bought a home in Jonathan’s Landing in Jupiter, FL. He enjoyed golfing, boating, deep sea fishing, billfish tournaments and cruising in the islands. They also traveled to many different continents enjoying numerous adventures. He continued to snow ski until he was 97 years old with the family in Aspen, CO. John’s family meant the world to him. He had a special relationship, not only with his four children, but with each of his eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. His ability to speak with and learn about each of us made us feel so very special. He was truly a Head of the Family, guiding each of us. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Patrick’s Church, 13591 Prosperity Farms Road, Palm Beach Gardens on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 11:00 AM. A livestream of the Mass can be accessed at www.stpatrickchurch.org (click on Online Mass). A reception will follow at Jonathan’s Landing at 12:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Patrick’s Church or The Jupiter Medical Foundation www.jmcfoundation.org.

John Amato

July 23, 1924 - April 1, 2023