Michael Gentille

Michael Gentille January 6, 1960 - March 9, 2025

On March 9, 2025, Michael Philip Gentille of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Baton Rouge, La., age 65, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. In his wake is a legacy of love, warmth, humor, loyalty, sincerity and resilience that will live on in all who knew him.

Michael is survived by his children, Sean Gentille (Hailey Salvian) and Kayleigh Gentille (Ryan Crivella); his cherished mother Mary B. Gentille Clydesdale (Richie); his siblings Aggie Greer (Joe Sr.), Theresa Bekavac, Robert L. Gentille Jr., Stephen Gentille (Kelly), William Gentille (Layna) and Susan Gazzo (Michael); his nine nieces and nephews, Joe Jr. (Kate), Brittany (Michael), Jordan, Madison, Anna, Frankie, Mary (Jeremy), Santino and Spencer; three great-nieces and nephews; his children's mother Stacy Corcoran (Jerry); Sandra Walter; and countless extended family members, friends and colleagues across the country.

He was preceded in death by many — none more important his father Robert L. "Zeke" Gentille Sr., his hero, and brother-in-law Dennis "Deach" Bekavac, his lifelong friend.

Michael spent the first nine years of his life in Pittsburgh's Greenfield neighborhood. When Mary B. and Zeke's family outgrew their home on Winterburn Ave., they moved to Pleasant Hills, where Michael, a standout basketball player, would graduate from St. Elizabeth High School in 1978.

At St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., as part of the school's concert planning committee, he met mentor and friend Ed Traversari and began his life's work. Hired out of school by DiCesare Engler Productions, he worked for decades in Pittsburgh in "our business," as he called it — event production and venue management at the Stanley Theatre, Syria Mosque, Civic Arena, Three Rivers Stadium and Star Lake Amphitheater, among others. If you needed concert tickets, or maybe a part-time job, you called "Mike G." He had stories for days, and he knew how to tell them.

At the time of his death, he was a vice president of development and operations for Allied Universal, working directly with Louisiana State University and the NFL. Super Bowls, NFL drafts, Final Fours, College Football Playoff games — all were opportunities that enriched his life, largely due to the people he met, the friends he made and the relationships he cherished.

No job, though, was more important than being a father to Kayleigh and Sean. Every day, they woke up knowing that their dad loved them, and that he was proud of them — because every day, he told them so. He was wise. He was sensitive. He was really, really funny — and not just in a "dad joke" kind of way. He appreciated music and reading and fresh lunch meat and open car windows. He loved a hot shower, a cold drink and a long walk — on a golf course, but not necessarily. If Michael liked you, he gave you a nickname. If he loved you, he gave you several. That's part of his legacy, too — a trail of nicknames. Some were funny. Some were functional. Some were bizarre. All of them were uniquely "him."

Most of all, he raised his children to work hard, to listen actively and speak eloquently, to "hang in there," to care about the world and the people in it — and to know, at the end of the day, that nothing matters more than the ones you love the most. If you want to honor's Michael memory, hug someone and tell them how much they mean to you.

Friends will be received on Sunday, March 23, 2025 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. in the Edward P. Kanai Funeral Home, 500 Greenfield Ave. 15207. A Blessing Service will be held in the Funeral Home at 7:30. p.m. on Sunday. 

Please, in lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the Mario Lemieux Foundation, dedicated to raising funds for cancer research and patient care in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. Their mission was near and dear to the hearts of Michael and his family.

https://mariolemieux.org/make-a-donation/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Michael Gentille, please visit our floral store.