Bernard Petrosky
July 16, 1921 ~ March 11, 2014
Loving husband and father, age 92 of Minnetonka, went to be with the Lord on 3/11/14. He was a WWII veteran and a Member of the Teamsters Union. Bernard was preceded in death by son, Bernard; and siblings, Edward, and Dorothy Sooter. He is survived by wife of 68 years, Honor (Steidley); children, Charles (Mary Beth Johnson), and Loretta (Jim) Thorson; daughter-in-law, Dorene; sister, Ruth (Dick) Larson; 5 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Bernie was born in Luzerne, Pennsylvania on July 16, 1921 to George and Rose Petrosky. He grew up in theLacyville area of PA with a brother Edward and two sisters, Dorothy and Ruth. His father was a coal miner and his mother enjoyed child care and raised a number of children not her own. Bernie left home at age 18 and began to drive truck in York, PA. He joined the service during WW II and was assigned to the Air Force. While in the service he met Honor Steidley and they were married in 1945. They had three children, Bernie,,Charlie, and Loretta. Bernie drove a variety of trucks and was proud of his ability to handle the big machines that he moved. He always said that he was a professional, vehicular propulsion engineer. He always took pride in his work and did his best. Bernie was a member of the Teamsters Union. He like to drive and was able to drive his car until the day he died. He enjoyed traveling, especially road trips which were always an adventure. Bernie was active in Boy Scout Troop 208. He hunted and taught gun safety classes. He liked to fish, especially fly fishing, and cross country ski (which he did until about age 80). Bernie was rarely seen without a camera in his hands and at one time he took professional photos. After he retired, he learned to fly. In the 1950s Bernie and Honor joined Oak Knoll Lutheran church and were very active. He had a deep and sincere religious belief. Bernie was a gregarious,outgoing, and honest person. He loved life and the people he met during his journey here. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was almost always happy and optimistic. His family and large circle of friends, both young and old, will greatly miss him. A memorial service will 11 AM at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church, 600 Hopkins Crossroad, Minnetonka, with visitation beginning at 10 AM until time of service. Private Interment.
My sincere condolences to you and your family. (Revelation 21:4) make the promise, where death will be going forever. What a beautiful promise that we all look forward, from our loving Creator, Jehovah God, (Psalm 83:18). May the God of peace be with you and your family.
Sincerely Yours,
Brandy Molina
The memories. they flood in to the point that I fear I”ll drown in them. But the one trait that runs through all of those memories is Bernie’s unabashed joy. That man LOVE life, and he LOVED Honor. I think his joy derived mostly from that. Bernie and Honor became my children’s “adopted” and most devoted grandparents. My children are deaf, and no surprise here, both Bernie and Honor took up sign language classes, learned about Skype, and other things to keep in touch with my children. They made their way to every major event in my life and the lives of my children despite weather or circumstances. They kept in touch through emails and Honor’s handmade cards. They treated us to lunch in their home, and joined us for many an Applebees meal. Selfishly I will miss Bernie beyond what my mere words can describe. And the world, well, the world will have a bit less joy and mass without him, it will spin just a tad slower without his presence. That sadness is eclipsed only by joy that I knew this man and basked in his love and joy. Bernie, I love you.
On behalf of the Forest Lake American Legion Post 225, we give thanks for Bernard’s military service to our nation.
I only got the pleasure of knowing Bernie this past fall as I was honored to serve as his guardian on his Honor Flight to the WWII Memorial in Washington. We had been keeping in touch by email since then. Please accept my condolences, I am deeply sorry to hear of his passing.
I will miss seeing you & Honor walking the neighborhood with your dog.So many of us have stayed in contact with the neighborhood, my daughter Allison Crowell bought my mother’s house ( Hulda Guderian). I went to school with Charlie, nice to hear from the Wong family. My Mom is 96yrs old & lives in Elder Homstead in Hopkins, told her today about Mr Petrosky passing, she is still aware of all her old neighbors.
Bonnie Fralick
Bernie always had such a natural smile and laughed so easily. He always put others at ease and was very interested and engaged in the lives of those around him. He always had fun stories to tell and you could tell that he lived a life that he loved. He was such a loving husband and it was a joy to watch him with his wife, Honor. The love between them was very visible and spread joy to others around them. He was the type of man that set a good example for people that looked up to him. He loved his grandkids and great grandkids very much and enjoyed playing with them and sharing in their lives.
We will always remember his sense of humor and ability to make others laugh. A few weeks ago we were over at our parent’s house and Bernie and Honor were sitting in the living room getting ready to go to a lasagna dinner. He looked over at Honor and said “how do I look honey?” (he was unshaven and had just recently woken from a nap). Honor said, “you don’t look too bad”. He just laughed and laughed and said, “well you don’t look too bad either honey!”
We will always remember Bernie & are very grateful to have had the chance to be a part of his life. We will always carry memories of him with us in our heart and we will always be inspired by the example of the marriage that he shared with Honor.
-With love, Micah & Katie
Today we lost a great man. The world has lost a man that’s tolerance, understanding and love will leave a hole in all of our hearts for a long time, but maybe God needed someone to take champ eggs this Easter. Rest in peace Grandpa.
I grew up, just a block away from the Petroskys, and my bus stop was at the corner by their house. During the winter months, the kids and I would ride down to the bus stop on sleds and Bernie would always let us store the sleds in his yard for the day.
One time, he paid my friend, Ellen and I to rake up the leaves in his yard. We made giant piles, but then started jumping in them and had to do it all again.
I will miss his quick wit, happy smile, and positive outlook on life. The neighborhood won’t be the same.
Bernie was my Grandpa for over ten years. He taught me what it means to enjoy life, ask questions (no matter how old someone is there is always more to learn) and always care for others.
I will remember his easy laugh, his quick wit, and how patient he was with me, my kids and everyone around him.
Just last summer, Grandpa drove with Grandma up to my in-laws’ cabin. They pulled their scamp behind them and camped. He truly enjoyed life and will leave us with both fond memories and something spectacular to be missed.
I am so grateful to have known Grandpa; grateful that my kids knew him and grateful for all the little bugs and bunny stories he wrote for them. We will miss Grandpa, but will remember him and carry him in our hearts.
One of my early Bernie encounters was of he and Honor cross-country skiing down the street in -40 degree windchill weather and calling out, “Hi, Mary, thought we’d get out while it’s still nice…” Always a quick wit, Bernie was a joy to chat with and share life’s cold and warm moments. I’ll miss him greatly.