John C. Petro III

John C. Petro III, age 91, died peacefully on March 13, 2023. He was born on February 7, 1932 in New Salem, PA to parents John C. Petro, Jr and Ann (Mudrey) Petro.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, George and Joe, his brother-in-law, Patrick Callahan and sisters-in-law, Loretta Petro and Cindy Petro and the mother of his sons, Nancy Lee Bodenheimer Petro.  He is survived by an estranged daughter, Bernadette “Bunny” Fani, sons John IV (Nancy), Ruffs Dale, PA and Kenneth, Sr. (Rachel), Chesapeake, VA, grandchildren Kenneth, Jr and Victoria, and Gram Gram to his grandchildren, Karen Ballard.  He is also survived by his siblings Jim (Jackie) Petro, Mary Ann Callahan, Carl Petro and many loving nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was raised in Isabella, PA in a hard-working coal mining family and graduated from Brownsville High School in 1949.  He served in the USAF as a radio operator with a tour in the Korean War.   Following his discharge in 1955, he enjoyed a life of traveling worldwide and much of the United States in part through his career in computer programming.  John was one of the first “Trekkies” and enjoyed making “designer firewood” with his wood-working skills, car racing of all types with a passion for Indy Car, reading and crossword puzzles.  

Even though he was blessed with a long life, John dealt with many health issues throughout the years.  The family would like to express appreciation to the staff of The Palms at O’Neil for their good care of him since January, 2021.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 1PM at the American Legion located at 508 E. Main St, Uniontown, PA 15401 followed by food and fellowship at the same location.  The family requests that memorials be sent to a Veteran’s organization of your choice.