John Sedor Jr.

John Sedor Jr., son of John and Mary Sedor of Parma, Ohio, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Dec. 5 at the age of 94, following a hospitalization for pneumonia. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lucille “Lucy” (Breaux) Sedor, and four daughters, Mary Sedor, Robin (Gerry) Metzler, Rene (Thomas) Sedor-Franzak and Suzanne Sedor, as well as 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A Navy veteran of World War II, John enlisted at 17 and made weight by eating bananas for two days. He attended Ohio State on the GI bill and was a lifelong Buckeyes fan. His love story began while employed at Shell Oil Company. There in the bayous of southern Louisiana, this son of Slovak immigrants met and married a southern Cajun gal, Lucy Breaux, who stole his heart.

John was a world-class metallurgical engineer at Bettis Westinghouse in West Mifflin, PA, for more than half a century.  He worked on many strategic projects in the Naval Reactors Laboratory,  including the Shippingport Station, as well as  numerous reactors for submarines and large naval vessels.

John raised a family in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and was a devout Catholic.  He served as a Eucharistic minister, bringing communion to the sick, as well as a member of the Nocturnal Adoration Society at St. Louise de Marillac Church and a frequent presence at annual religious retreats.

A member of the Westinghouse bowling league, he almost never failed to win a Thanksgiving turkey for the family, as well as numerous trophies. He was also active in the Bethel Park community, coaching baseball, mentoring Cub Scouts and proudly applauding his children and grandchildren’s music concerts and performances. He could also often be seen walking his many grand-dogs in his Bethel Park neighborhood. A true gentle man, he was known for his friendly smile and willingness to lend a helping hand to everyone in the neighborhood.

In his later years, he and Lucy attended daily Mass at St. Thomas More parish, exercised at Healthtrax, and John became a neighborhood legend when he finally retired from cutting his grass in his late 80s. And there was nothing John couldn’t fix, so if Heaven has a squeaky drawer, needs a paint job, or the Pearly Gates need some work, John will be on the job, with his duct tape, paint brush, tools and WD-40.

He never tired of spending time with his grandchildren, Julian (Tara) Whitley and Nicholas Whitley; John (Joanna) Metzler, Patrick, Robert and Elizabeth Metzler; Thomas John “T.J.” (Jessica) Sedor-Franzak, Lucy and Daniel Sedor-Franzak; Zachary Sedor-Schiffauer, and his great-grandchildren William Metzler and Jude Sedor-Franzak.

Viewing is on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pittsburgh Cremation and Funeral Care, 3287 Washington Road, McMurray, PA, 15317 (724-260-5546). A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at St. John XXIII parish at St. Benedict the Abbot Church, 120 Abington Dr., McMurray, PA, followed by internment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to the Humane Society or South Hills Pet Rescue.