Michael P. Petras, 81 years of Johnson City passed away into the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, April 22, 2021, following a brief illness. Mike was predeceased by his parents, John and Susan Petras; five sisters: Irene (Michael) Stasko; Mary Lou (Raymond) Socash; Dorothy Petras; Betty Barna; and Shirley (James) Goodfellow. He is survived by two brothers and sisters-in-law: John and Irma Petras, Vestal; and Edward and Carol Petras, Binghamton. He is also survived by one brother-in-law: John (Janet) Barna, Endicott.
Mike was a caring, gentle and generous son, brother, cousin, Godfather, uncle and great uncle to many nephews and nieces. In his youth he enjoyed playing baseball played football and graduated from Binghamton Central High School in June 1958, received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Ithaca College in 1962. Mike began working as a Branch Manager for Ritter Finance in South Carolina & Philadelphia until relocating back to the Southern Tier in 1965 where he was employed as a Junior Budget Analyst for the Endicott Johnson Corporation. In August 1967, he gained employment as a Senior Accountant and later as a Contract Specialist at IBM-Owego for 25 years working on highly confidential federal projects and retiring in November 1994. Mike was a proud fan of local sports venues such as the Binghamton Mets (also NY Mets) and was a statistician for the TC Jets (when his brother Ed played). He cherished family gatherings where there was plenty of Slovak food, traditions, stories, laughs and loved to attend his nephews and nieces sporting events. Mike was a life-long member of St. Michael's Orthodox Church, Binghamton.
Due to Co-Vid restrictions, a Celebration of Life event will be held later this summer for family and friends. The family wishes to extend a very sincere Thank You to Dr. John Wacendak, for his medical care over the past several years. Honorable mention to close friends Dennis Edwards & Mary Wren Thomas and his neighbor, Martin DiCesare for their help and maintenance in beautifying his home and yard. In addition, special thanks to two special nieces, Marlene Boedicker and Carol Jones, for their tireless hours of care, love and devotion to Uncle Mike who is now safely home.
Kindly share your reflections of Mike on his guestbook at Chopyak-Scheider.com.