Leo M. Cardetti, a prominent St. James businessman who ran Leo Cardetti’s Flag & Flag Pole Company, has died.
Cardetti died Saturday, March 13 at Phelps County Regional Medical Center. He was 81.
Mayor Dennis Wilson recalls the years Cardetti worked to make St. James a better place to live.
“There are a lot of words that come to mind — a consummate community-supporter,” Wilson said to describe Cardetti.
Growing up in Rosati, Cardetti eventually graduated from St. James High School and then from Missouri S&T (what was the Missouri School of Mines then) in 1952 with a degree in Petroleum Engineering.
His flag store was one of several business ventures he embarked on in St. James and the surrounding area during his life.
St. James Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jennie Miller said Cardetti always put the City of St. James and the Chamber of Commerce first.
“He has been a huge contributor to St. James over the years,” said Miller.
His commitment to his business amazed some people.”
Wilson noted that within the past year, Cardetti started bringing in Italian meats, cheeses and bread as sort of a side-project to his flag store.
Beyond his work in the business community, Cardetti was heavily active in several community organizations.
“Leo was always the heart of what was going on here in town,” Dan Cavender, Chamber of Commerce President, said.
Cardetti’s commitment to St. James organizations spanned decades.
He was active in the Trout Association, which gets together every year to prepare for the opening of trout season, for 41 years.
According to Cavender, this was the first year he remembers Cardetti missing the opening of trout season.
Mayor Wilson dedicated a special proclamation in memory of Cardetti. The proclamation stated, among other notable achievements and dedications to St. James, ‘his lifelong passion for St. James High School athletic contests, his love for family and friends, his dedication and respect for military veterans and his community involvements were a constant source of pride.”
In the proclamation the mayor requested all St. James citizens pause at 11 a.m. March 17 to pay honor to this great community leader.
A special prayer service for Cardetti was held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at James & Gahr Chapel in St. James. Services for Cardetti were at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Rosati.
Visitation for Cardetti was from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, at James & Gahr Chapel in St. James. Memorials are suggested to the Phelps County Historical Society or St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery.
