Peter S. Onopa

Peter S. Onopa, 91, of Reading, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at the Reading Hospital surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Julia C. (Kozak) Onopa who died in 2007, with whom he shared 64 years of marriage. He was the son of Joseph and Julia (Treblinski) Onopa. He was a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Millmont, PA.

Born in Mosinee, Wisconsin, he left the family dairy farm at the age of 15 to join the Civil Conservation Corps to work as a surveyor with the National Forestry Service in northern Michigan during the years of the Great Depression. He was a combat veteran of WWII, having served in the Army's 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion of the famed Third Armored "Spearhead" Division, and fought in both the Normandy invasion in France, and the "Battle of the Bulge" in Belgium under the command of General Maurice Rose.

He worked for 36 yrs. as a production supervisor at the Reading Tube Corp. in Reading, PA, retiring in 1981, and later for 15 years as manager of Onopa's Commodities Gourmet Coffee at the Shillington Farmer's Market, retiring in 1996.

Pete was an active member of the Third Armored Division Association, the American Legion, the VFW, the Knights of Columbus, the Polish Falcons, the Kenhorst Fire Company, and was a charter member of the Rolling Rock Fishing Group.

An enthusiastic and fun loving guy, Pete often played his accordion at parties and family gatherings, and as a younger man, shared a love for dancing with his wife Julia. He was a dedicated Phillies fan and an avid fisherman who greatly enjoyed annual trips to the Thousand Islands with his sons and fishing buddies. He was devoted to his family and was an active volunteer for his church and other charitable causes. His natural optimism and lively spirit touched everyone he knew.

Survivors: sons, David and his wife Sally, of Allentown; Leonard and his wife Joan, of Pottstown, Jeffrey, and his wife Evelyn, of Reading; granddaughters, Jennifer, of New York City; Natalie (wife of Alex Volk), of Boston, MA; Morgan, of Pottstown; and Kelly (wife of Kyle Spengler) of Shillington; grandsons, Justin, of Pottstown; and Ryan, of Boston, MA.; great grandsons, Sebastian, and Logan, of Boston, MA.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m. in St. Anthony's Church; friends may call from 2 to 2:30 p.m. in the church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Kuhn Funeral Home.

Contributions: In lieu of flowers, may be made to: American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312 (in memory of Peter S. Onopa).