Dr. Carl M. Pesta

Dr. Carl Michael Pesta lived a remarkable life marked by compassion, brilliance, and an unmistakable charisma that could effortlessly command a room. In addition to his passionate love of family and his medical career, he was an excellent singer and musician, master of ceremonies, boater, baseball player, collector of classic cars, and host extraordinaire. As a teen, he had a paper route to pay for his own accordion and music lessons. He worked his way through medical school as a bartender and lead singer in his own band. Dr. Pesta passed away at his home on May 25, Memorial Day, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family: his wife of 64 years, Penny Pesta, and his children, Leslie Wagner, Melissa Snyder, Carl Pesta, and Daniel Pesta, with the support of their spouses, Alan Wagner, Mike Snyder, and Lori Pesta. He was born in 1938 in Detroit to Clara and Stanley Pesta. He was the proud eldest sibling of seven children: predeceased by Tim (Sharon) Pesta, Dennis (Carol) Pesta, and Marcia (Ray) Lucas, and survived by Terry (Dorene) Pesta, Rick (Karen) Pesta, and Michelle (Dave) Culkowski. He dearly loved the young people in his life, and they loved him back: his grandchildren, Jack Pesta, Ian Pesta, Dutch Snyder, Ryan Pesta, and Sean Pesta, and many dear nieces and nephews. Dr. Pesta was an altar boy during his time at Saint Jude Elementary. After playing in his band and as quarterback for the football team at Saint Anthony High School, he graduated from Wayne State University. Then he became a physician at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Pesta served as Speaker of the House for the Michigan Osteopathic Association and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), where he served with distinction for 8 years. He was recently honored with the Presidential Recognition Award for Lifetime Achievement by the 129th President of the AOA, Dr. Robert Piccinini, for his contributions to Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Pesta was board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nuclear Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physician Executives. He became the Director of Medical Education at Mount Clemens General Hospital, where he trained hundreds of young physicians. He was the Medical Director of Church of Christ Care Center for over 10 years. He finished his professional career as the Medical Director of Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Warren Campus (a.k.a. BiCounty Hospital). He is deeply loved and will be so missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support Parkinson's research at https://braindonorproject.org. Dr. Pesta dedicated his life to science and helping people, and in the end, donated his brain to research, potentially providing information for hundreds of studies for years to come.

Dr. Carl M. Pesta

January 9, 1938 - May 25, 2026