Obituary of Frank Petriello

Frank Petriello passed away peacefully at the age of 102 in his home in Clifton, New Jersey on the morning of December 31, 2023. He was born in Sassano, Italy on March 16, 1921. He immigrated to the United States at the age of eight with his mother Francesca and his brother John. His twin siblings, Anthony and Catherine, were born in 1930. His father Joseph had arrived years earlier and the family settled into the home he had purchased in Garfield, where his sister Catherine resided until her death in 2021.

Frank started elementary school in Garfield as a second-grade student. He interrupted his high school education in order to assist his family financially during the Great Depression. Frank worked in the weaving department in Botany Mills in Passaic. The opportunity to complete his education was interrupted again when, in 1941, he heard a radio announcement telling of an attack on an unheard of, far-away place called Pearl Harbor. Frank enlisted in the Navy in his country's defense of freedom. He became a medical corpsman serving on an aircraft carrier, the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), from the time she was commissioned in May, 1943. The Bunker Hill was involved in nearly all of the major naval campaigns in the Pacific until it was attacked by kamikazes on May 11, 1945, suffering near fatal damage including 346 men killed, 264 wounded and 43 missing. The ship barely stayed afloat and limped back to the States for repairs. Before they were completed, the Second World War had come to an end. Frank was honorably discharged and returned to Garfield in 1945.

Frank met his bride-to-be, Mary V. Tahan, while working at Botany Mills. They married while he was on leave on December 31, 1945 and settled in Paterson, later moving to Clifton where they raised their family. Frank worked at White Leaf Cleaners on Crooks Ave in Paterson and part-time at Howard Johnson's Restaurant in Clifton. He later became a co-owner of the Cleaners. After selling his interest in the Cleaners, he started a second career as the manager of the laundry at Preakness Hospital and after 15 years, retired.

Frank was famous for his home-grown tomatoes. In his later years, when he required assistance, planting the garden became an annual event for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All who were the beneficiaries of his tomato harvest, including his physicians and their staff, eagerly looked forward to their share of the bounty.

Frank valued education and was always proud that every one of his children and grandchildren attained college degrees, several of them to a post-graduate level. He always aspired to complete his own education and at age 90 was awarded an honorary high school diploma.

At 99 years of age, Frank unexpectedly participated in a Major League Baseball podcast with his great-nephew Michael J. Petriello, an MLB analyst. Frank was cold-called by Michael and recalled with uncanny accuracy a double-header played by his favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, in 1942 at Wrigley Field, naming players, their positions, scores and statistics.

At age 101, Frank was thrilled to appear in a NJPBS special (Here's The Story – Hear Their Stories) featuring World War II veterans. He regaled in pointing out that he both opened and closed the show.

Frank had a devoted and substantial fan club on his daughter Fran's Facebook page. He also had a dedicated Jeopardy habit, watching every day for decades. He correctly answered his final Final Jeopardy answer one week before he passed away.

Frank passed away on what would have been his seventy-eighth wedding anniversary and is survived by his three children, Frances Atieh and her late husband, Louis Atieh; Joseph C. Petriello and his wife, Denise; and Jane Petriello; seven grandchildren, Deena Atieh-Graham and her husband, Jack Graham; Louis J. Atieh and his fiancé John Lear; Lauren Atieh and her husband, Orlando Gonzalez; Matthew J. Petriello and his wife, Melissa; Jeff Frank Petriello; Mary Cornish and her husband, Duane; and Dean Hawryschuk and his partner, Taylor Heideman; five great-grandchildren, Jack, Noah, Quinn, Luke and Dominic; and three generations of nieces and nephews.

Frank always partially attributed his longevity to his daily glass of Bolla, Valpolicella wine and his many years of daily swimming at the Garfield YMCA. In lieu of flowers, donations to that Y are being accepted at garfieldymca.com.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral from the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Boulevard, Totowa on Friday, January 5 at 8:45 AM. Funeral Mass to follow at St. Brendan's RC Church, 154 East 1st Street, Clifton, at 10:00 AM. Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa. Friends may visit on Thursday January 4 from 4-8 PM.