Stephen Perok Jr., age 82, of Southgate, Mich., formerly of Donora, passed Nov. 17, 2020. He was the beloved husbandof 56 years of Marlene; loving father of Jeff (Jennifer) Perok and Joelle (David) Coss; dearest grandfather of Julia, Neal, T.J., Sofia, Travis, Kyle and Ethan; dear brother of Esther Whitton, Mary Ann Dean and the late Catherine Mitchell; and had many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Steve and Amelia; and brothers-in-law, Floyd Whitton and Donald Dean. Steve was a graduate of Donora High School (GO DRAGONS!), Class of 1956. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy right out of high school and served as a machinist mate II and was the commanding officer on the U.S.S. Tarawa CS40 Quonset Point, R.I., with an honorable discharge. Just out of the Navy, he was employed by Ford Motor Company, West Mifflin, for 10 years. In 1970, he was transferred to Ford Parts Redistribution Center in Romulus, Mich., where he became a supervisor after six months, until his retirement on July 1, 1990, Steve retired after 30 years. Upon retirement, he worked at Lincoln Park Glass for 10 years, where he made stained glass windows for three downriver churches: Christ the King, Southgate, St. Helena’s, Wyandotte and St. Tim’s, Trenton, and many places of business. Steve was a fourth degree Knight of Columbus of Robert Jones Council 3078, where he was a recorder for the past 10 years. He had been Knight of the Month, Knight of the Year and Family of the Year, in 1995 and 2020. He was also in charge of the Thursday lunches for the past 20-plus years, spending most of his mornings preparing and also enjoying coffee and a little euchre with fellow knights. Besides his passion for golf Steve enjoyed playing softball, tennis, bowling, darts and family gatherings, barbecueing his famous ribs for his family and playing cards with them. He and wife, Marlene, enjoyed an American Hawaii Cruise on their 25th and a trip to Hawaii on their 50th anniversaries. He would like to be remembered as a family man, for his stained glass, and his hole-in-one on the 12th hole at Raisin River Golf Course in Monroe, Mich. He will be remembered most as a wonderful husband and father; for his endless energy and many talents, especially dancing (we won a twist contest on the cruise ship); and for his love for Pittsburgh teams, especially the Steelers. A memorial gathering will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021, in St. Vincent Pallotti Parish at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 344 Elm St., Wyandotte, MI 48192. A service will take place at 10 a.m. with celebrant Father Brendan McCarrick, SAC, assisted by Deacon Jerry McGowan. At Steve’s request, a military funeral and internment will take place at the Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, Mich., at a future date. Donations in celebration of the life of Stephen Perok Jr. may be made to www.fredhutch.org, for COVID-19 research.
