News You Can Use

RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE
April 3, 2025

We share this sad news of the passing of
Dennis Artusi

This week we were informed by our friend
and RTA Member Tom Gyuriak of XS Products
that his friend and industry associate Denny Artusi has passed away.

Tom very graciously here (below) details this tribute
for our members who may have known and worked with Denny.

Friends,?
I thought it would be nice to remember and recognize
one of the great guys in the tire industry, Dennis (Denny) Artusi's passing.?

Denny was quite a guy (larger than life) for those who knew him, you will know what I'm talking about. Denny stood out in a crowd, not only in size but also his million dollar smile and sense of humor. His positive attitude rubbed off on those around him, I don't ever remember him complaining about anything, he always had a way of turning around not so good situations into positive ones.

He will be missed by all those who had the privilege of knowing him, myself being one of them. ??

Here are a few additional roles he played, things he accomplished in his career, these may not be in chronological order. ??

While at Preston Trucking Denny created a tire tracking system second to none for those times with 3X5 cards in a HUGE rolodex must have been twelve ft wide and ten feet tall with a full time lady operating it.

(Preston) became a Dunlop commercial tier dealer and additionally tested new tire tread designs in their fleet, He started a retread tire plant in Plymouth In, first with Apex & Robbins Rubber eventually becoming an Oliver plant. ??

Around the time he was with Zolman Tire he became a partner (along with myself and a few others ) in what was Ken's Bandag at that time part of the Zurcher Group that became the Best-One Group. This was all before joining Shrader Tire which is still going strong today.

I was reminded by a friend of ours that he also worked for Bauer Built Tire along the way in his career.??

I'm sure that everyone who knew him have fond memories and could tell great stories of times spent with him.??
If you have any anecdotes about Denny, you can respond to this email and we will forward your comments to Denny's family.

Goodbye my friend.
Thanks,
Thomas E Gyuriak Sr
X S Products, L.L.C.
51883 Candy Ln., Granger, IN 46530
574-807-4208 Cell
tegyuriaksr@xsproducts.biz

____________________________________________

More information and a Tribute Wall
for Dennis Artusi can be found here.
We offer our deepest condolences to the Artusi family.

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/40147696/dennis-leroy-artusi

Dennis LeRoy Artusi Obituary
Dennis LeRoy Artusi, 76, of Granger, IN, passed away at 8:00 a.m. Friday, March 28, 2025
at the Sanctuary of Holy Cross in South Bend, IN.

He was born on January 18, 1949 to the late Rene and Norma (Leick) Artusi in Mishawaka, IN, and was a lifelong area resident, having lived in Wyatt, Mishawaka, and Granger, IN for the past almost 50 years. Dennis was also preceded in death by his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Harry Sr. and Dorothy Ruszkowski, who always treated their son-in-law like a son.

Dennis graduated in 1967 from Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN and then attended IUSB.

He worked from early years on in his parents Wyatt Restaurant, Artusi's.

His lifelong career in the tire industry began at Goodyear in South Bend in 1967, followed by commercial tire sales at Preston Trucking in South Bend, IN, Zolman Tire in Mishawaka, IN, and then at Shrader Tire & Oil in Plymouth, IN, where he retired in 2009 at the age of 60, after 15 years of employment.

On July 10, 1971, he married Michelle A. Ruszkowski at St. Casimir Catholic Church in South Bend, IN. Dennis is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Michelle A. Artusi of Granger, IN; two sons, Nicholas (Lisa) Artusi of South Bend, IN; Christopher (Dulce) Artusi of Mishawaka, IN; a sister, Judy (Ron) DeSmith of Granger, IN; a brother, Rick (Marcia) Artusi of Fishers, IN; and a sister-in-law, Cindy Artusi of Notre Dame, IN.

Dennis was an avid Notre Dame and Chicago Cubs fan, thrilled to see the Cubbies win the World Series in 2016. Denny was a prolific reader and knew something about everything. He collected GI Joe's in retirement, those he never got when he was younger. Dennis loved to hang out at "the clubhouse" the family-owned business, Michiana Used Music & Media.

He had the gift to gab, perfect for a tire salesman and small business owner.

His story would not be complete without mentioning the many trips over the last 30 years to the condo in Treasure Island, FL, and the opportunity to visit with Nick & Marcia. The condo housed many of Nick's and Chris' friends during spring breaks. Sunsets were always amazing on the balcony as well as the fireworks over the Gulf. Great memories to cherish forever! Likewise for the treasured times at Nyona Lake in Macy, IN. Pontoon rides, conversations on the front deck with neighbors considered family will be held dear to our hearts.

Dennis was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Edwardsburg, MI.  He was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA).

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, 2025 at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, IN, followed by a Catholic Funeral Service at 12:30 p.m. in the funeral home, with Rev. Thomas Jones, C.S.C. officiating.  Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, South Bend, IN.

Rest in Peace Big D!
An army of folks have come through the last 3 months with open and generous hearts for support and love. Michelle thanks each of them for their time with texts and calls of concern, homemade Sunday dinners, cute coloring pages and for just being there for her!

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Humane Society of St. Joseph County, 2506 Grape Road, Mishawaka, IN  46545.  All of Dennis and Michelle's family pets have been rescue dogs.

_______________________________________

And as a matter of interest, we are ALWAYS happy to post articles and advertisements, etc.
for any RTA member. If you wish to take advantage of this offer,
please contact Jeffrey
by email to info@retreadtire.org

You can always reach Jeffrey Parks at RTA by phone at 831-620-5345
or email: jeffrey@retreadtire.org

•     •     •

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"I've never tried to block out the memories of the past,
even though some are painful.
I don't understand people who hide from their past.
Everything you live through
helps to make you the person you are now."
~ Sophia Loren