Wayne I Klemetti

Wayne I. Klemetti, scientist, baseball fan, and auto enthusiast, passed away March 29, 2023 at Middleton Senior Living in Granville, Ohio, at the age of 83. He was the son of Finnish emigrants, the late Ilmari and Anna Klemetti who settled in central Massachusetts. Together with his wife, Marta, they raised their family in Westminster and resided there until 2017 when they moved to Granville to be closer to their grandchildren.

A graduate of Gardner High School, and Fitchburg State College where he studied Industrial Arts, Wayne spent most of his career as a civilian scientist at the Air Force Geophysics Lab at Hanscom AFB outside of Boston.  His work took him to far flung places like Greenland, Brazil, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico and more. He had previously worked for Barkley and Dexter Labs in Fitchburg.

Wayne’s passion was cars. He was an amateur drag racer and owned dozens of cars throughout his lifetime. Studebakers and Jaguars were his most favorite, and his 1955 Studebaker Champion won several car show awards. He also coached soccer and baseball and was life-long Red Sox and Celtics fan. Wayne also enjoyed volunteering with the Westminster Historical Society where he was a very active member.

Surviving are his children, Erik Klemetti and daughter in law Susan (Glover) Klemetti and their children, Esa and Hazel Klemetti all of Granville, and Kristina Klemetti and son in law Pat D’Onofrio and their son, Nic D’Onofrio, of Elmhurst, IL; sisters, Mary (Klemetti) Gillies and Barbara (Klemetti) Stayton; and nieces and nephews, Maria Eugenia Lochner (Annapolis, MD), Federico Benitez (Bogota, Colombia), Sebastian Benitez (Toronto, Canada), Erik Stayton (Tacoma, WA), Michael, Tom and Kathy Barrows.

In addition to his parents, Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Marta Gonzalez Klemetti who died in 2021. They enjoyed 46 years together after marrying in Colombia.

A wake will be held at a future date in Westminster. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Westminster Historical Society, https://westminsterhistoricalsociety.org or Forbush Memorial Library in Westminster, https://forbushlibrary.org.

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