April 6, 1922 - October 14, 2024
Courtesy Cumberland Funeral Chapels:
Myron Titos Petrakis, April 6, 1922 to October 14, 2024. Devoted husband of the late Catherine Rinaldi Petrakis; loving father of Stephen (Jane) Petrakis, Barbara Renella, Mary (Craig) Conner, and his niece Regina (Gerry) Post; beloved papou of Christina (Justin) Domanoski, Mark (Tara) Nunes, Kevin (Melissa) Nunes, Rebecca Renella, Robert (Jackie) Renella, Jr., Christine Renella, Joshua (Mary Heath) Conner, Charis Jones, Nicholas (Ashley) Conner, and Maria Post (Mark Lecocq); treasured great-grandfather of Lincoln Domanoski, Emma, Nathan, and Camden Nunes, Lylah Nunes, Mikayla Andrlik, Nicholas Kamaris, Haley Renella, Elena Miguel, Abigail Roman, Brantley Pruitt, Isley and Penelope Conner, Sophia Andersen, Lilly and Gavin Conner, and Rosanna and Simone Lecocq. Dear uncle of many nieces and nephews. Myron was predeceased by his parents, Titos and Elpitha Petrakis, and his siblings Helen Geotsalitis, Emanuel (the late Janet) Petrakis, and Koula (Al) Licciardi.
Myron -- family man, patriot, and teller of stories -- led an exceptional life that spanned more than a century and impacted countless others. He was born in Chicago to Greek immigrant parents and from a young age had a preternatural sense of purpose and force of will despite growing up during the Great Depression and struggling in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. In 1932, he attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and watched Franklin Delano Roosevelt accept the party's nomination for president.
Myron had just completed his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker in 1944 when he was drafted into the U.S. Navy. He served as a machinist on the U.S.S. Murrelet, a minesweeper that patrolled the Pacific. Myron was discharged in 1946 and went back to school on the G.I. Bill, earning a mechanical engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1951. He entered the then-emerging field of plastics, where his long career was marked by excellence and innovation.
On September 20, 1952, he married Catherine Rinaldi, the love of his life. In 1955, Myron and Catherine bought a home in the Village of Norridge, where they lived for the next 63 years. They were founding members of Divine Savior Catholic Church and School, and Myron was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Myron participated actively in Village life, including by serving for almost 50 years on the Norridge Board of Fire and Police Commission and acting as the Village's first official historian.
Myron and Catherine loved to travel and camp, visiting far-flung destinations like Alaska, Hawaii, Italy, and Greece. They took up square dancing and attended lessons near the Wisconsin Dells, eventually leading them to build a getaway on the Wisconsin River. Myron displayed his creative abilities in his basement workshop, where multiple generations of children would expectantly gather for a piece of Papou's Secret Candy.
Although deeply saddened by Catherine's passing in 2021, he stayed busy, becoming a local celebrity when he turned 100 and using his time in the spotlight to amplify a message of self-sacrifice and patriotism. He enjoyed hosting friends and family for snacks, the occasional German beer or Metaxa (cough medicine), and conversation; using a smartphone and computer more effectively than many folks half his age; and writing his parents' and father-in-law's biographies and his own autobiography. Myron loved being with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, showing genuine interest in their lives and offering sage advice and wisdom. He was unfailingly kind, radically generous, and perennially pleasant.
Myron found his truest calling in advocating for veterans, having never forgotten his friends who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. Myron embodied the Apostle Paul's exhortation to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit [but] rather, in humility value others above yourselves." He was a fixture at Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances, many of which he organized and led. He spearheaded the creation of a Vietnam War memorial at Ridgewood High School. In 2023, Myron was featured in "American Heroes: Portraits of Service", a photography exhibition honoring veterans and on display at O'Hare and Midway International Airports. Looking at his portrait, you could be forgiven for seeing only a modest elderly man with glasses and a sweet smile, wearing a U.S.S. Murrelet cap and an American flag tie. But make no mistake: He was a titan.
Anchors, aweigh...Until we meet once more, here's wishing you a happy voyage home!
Myron's family thanks the doctors, nurses, and staff at Central DuPage Hospital as well as the staff at Belmont Village Senior Living in Carol Stream.
Visitation Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the 11:30 a.m. funeral service at Cumberland Chapels, 8300 W. Lawrence Ave., Norridge, IL. The entombment will follow at Queen of Heaven Mausoleum in Hillside.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Honor Flight Chicago at honorflightchicago.org.
For more information call (708)456-8300. |