Peter F. "Papa Bear" de Castro Sr., 86, husband of Gail Kraska de Castro, passed away Sunday, December 15, 2024. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he was the son of the late Edward and Esther Connelly de Castro.

Pete was a dedicated and active member of the Ss. Francis & John Parish as well as the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed golfing, bowling, and a good cigar . He also enjoyed working at Toyota and Keeneland. He loved UK, especially women's volleyball and basketball. Pete was a patriot through and through who honored and loved the American flag . If you see a flag, smile, there's a good chance Papa Bear put it there. One of Papa's greatest joys was bringing magic to Christmas morning by donning a Santa Claus suit and delighting his loved ones and spreading holiday cheer to children at local hospitals.

In addition to his wife of 64 years, he is survived by his children, Peter F. (June) de Castro Jr., Mary Beth de Castro, Michael (Mary) de Castro, Maureen "Mo" (Jack) Batts, , Christopher de Castro, and Donny de Castro; and brothers, Jack de Castro and Jimmy de Castro; grandchildren, Ashley, Trevor, Taylor, Darby, Ryan, Nick, Kylee, McKenna, Luke and Josie; great grandchildren, Lyla and Cody. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Esther Marie Forest and Inez Lettieri; brothers, Edward and David de Castro.

Visitation will be 4-7 PM Friday at Ss. Francis & John Parish at Cardome with a Rosary service at 7 PM. Funeral services will be 11 AM Saturday at Ss. Francis and John Parish at Cardome, conducted by Rev. Linh Nguyen with a reception to follow immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Ss. Francis and & John Parish Building Fund.