Peter Joseph Padian Jr passed away on November 22nd, 2022 in Inverness, Florida. He is survived by his daughter Pamela Good (Padian) and her husband Bill Good, son Douglas and his wife Eileen Hughes, and sons Peter and Brian. He is also survived by his granddaughter Claire (daughter of Doug and Eileen), and granddaughter Madison (stepdaughter of Pamela and daughter of Bill). He is also survived by his brother Jim Padian and his wife Marie, sister Margaret Maxwell (Padian) with her husband Tom, sister Helen Byrnes (Padian), and his sister-in-law Joan Padian.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Bridget, as well as his sisters Ann and Mary, and his brother Patrick.
Peter was born in the Bronx, NY on March 18, 1937. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Saint Luke's Catholic School. He left home at the age of 15 and worked for about two years as a groomer and hot walker for race horses. In this job, he traveled all around the country to many race tracks. In January of 1955, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. He served for three years on the U.S.S Macon, a heavy cruiser. As the Korean War had ended, he did not serve in combat, but visited ports of call around the world including cities in Germany, Italy, and Brazil. He rose through the ranks to Gunner’s Mate Second Class Petty Officer. He was honorably discharged in January of 1958.
After the Navy, Peter went back to school and received his high school diploma. He took a job in sales at Graybar where he worked selling electrical supplies and lighting fixtures. A co-worker and friend, Thomas Nevins, introduced Peter to his sister Patricia. They were married on July 17, 1964 in Ossining, NY. They settled down in Bronxville, NY. Peter enrolled in night school at Manhattan college and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting. Their firstborn, Peter, was born in 1965, followed by Brian in 1967. Peter and Patricia then moved their family to Rockaway, New Jersey where Douglas was born in 1972, followed by Pamela in 1974.
Peter and Patricia moved to Mountain Lakes, New Jersey in 1976 where they raised their children. Peter started his own contract sales organization called PJ Sales. He then purchased an electrical and lighting supply business named Alpha Electric, which he operated out of Newark, NJ. The business thrived for many years but in the early 1990s it succumbed to the recession. Peter and Patricia divorced in 1990.
Following Alpha Electric, Peter took on a number of jobs and roles throughout the years including driving a limousine, driving a bus for New Jersey Transit, and delivering packages for Emery Air Freight. Peter joined the teamsters and was a member for many years. Most recently, in the last ten years, Peter drove a school bus for the town of Kearny, NJ. He particularly liked driving the kids safely to and from school. A man that didn’t know the word “retirement”, Peter kept working until the age of 81.
Peter will be remembered as a man who loved to talk – he loved to spin a good yarn, and he was a friend to everyone. He truly had the classic “gift of the gab”. He deeply loved his children and his grandchildren. He was a lover of Notre Dame football, and was very proud that one of his sons, Brian, attended that school. He was a very good dancer and a lover of music – especially folk and musicals. He was an avid reader, and particularly liked spy novels and histories. He loved movies and enjoyed documentaries, comedies, and horror films. He enjoyed good food and had a deep and abiding love for chocolate ice cream. Peter was a very devoted man of his Catholic faith and attended church regularly.
Peter will be memorialized with a wake on December 4 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at Schuyler Hill Funeral Home, 3535 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx NY, 10465.
Funeral services will be on December 5 at 10:30 AM at The Church of St Benedict, 2969 Otis Avenue, Bronx NY, 10465. He will be interred immediately thereafter at St Raymond’s New Cemetery, 2600 Lafayette Avenue, Bronx NY, 10465
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St Lucy’s Church in Newark, NJ in Peter’s name. He was a parishioner there for many years. The address is:
St Lucy’s Roman Catholic Church
118 7th Ave #1897, Newark, NJ 07104