Natale ""Nate"" Troia

McFARLAND - Nate Troia, 87, of McFarland, died Thursday, May 25, 2017 at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. He was born in Madison, the son of Augustino (August) and Antonina (Lena) Lombardino Troia. He married Betty J. Busch in 1957, and enjoyed fishing, reading, playing cards and completing complex crosswords and word puzzles at their lake home in McFarland and their vacation home in Florida.

Nate attended Edgewood High School and graduated from Madison Central High School in 1948. He enlisted in the Navy in 1950 and served four years, becoming a corpsman and serving on the hospital ship USS Consolation during the Korean conflict. He was a well-known restauranteur in Madison as proprietor of Nate's Place on the east side from 1960-1985, having learned the craft at the hands of his brother Joe and uncle Matt Lombardino. Following his retirement from the restaurant business, he worked with his wife as a Realtor. He was a charter member of Christ The King Church and a member and leader in several service organizations including the McFarland Lion's Club and the Italian Workmen's Club.

Nate is survived by his wife, Betty, sons, Ken (Mary) and Dan (Patricia), and granddaughters Elizabeth and Karlie. Also surviving are his sisters Rose McCormick, Geri Thomas and Jackie White, his sisters-in-law Bette and Carole Troia, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Joe, Tony, Kathy and John Troia, and Anna Wiedman

Visitation will be held from 4-7 PM on Friday, June 2 at Cress Funeral Home, 5801 Hwy 51, McFarland. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 AM at Christ The King Catholic Church, 5306 Main St., McFarland, with visitation starting at 10 AM. Committal services will be held at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Nate's name to Christ The King Church, Disabled American Veterans, Freedom Alliance or your favorite charity.

""The tales you told about each catch
Its stature and its girth
Will live in memories unmatched
As days pass here on earth
Until we meet again, one day
Upon God's golden sand
We'll picture you, no other way
Than with a pole in hand.""
©2006 - Jill Eisnaugle's Poetry Collection