Emery PETKO

17 AUG 1939 - 24 JAN 2005

• BIRTH: 17 AUG 1939, Phoenix, Maricopa County AZ
• DEATH: 24 JAN 2005, St Joseph County, IN

INDEX

[N18478] A RESOLUTION memorializing Emery S. Petko.

Whereas, Emery S. Petko, who passed away January 24, 2005, after a long and courageous battle against cancer, dedicated his life to his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and the Mishawaka school system;

Whereas, Mr. Petko was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Emery and Mary Ruth Petko;

Whereas, Mr. Petko met his future wife, Peggy Layne, on April 1, 1968, and married her eight days later on April 9, 1968, a union that lasted 37 years;

Whereas, Together Emery and Peggy had two children,

James and Stacy, and five grandchildren, Tiffany, Thomas, Sam, Matthew, and Margaret;

Whereas, Mr. Petko graduated from Phoenix Union High School and attended the University of Arizona, Purdue University, and Indiana University;

Whereas, In 1961, Mr. Petko began his apprenticeship and received his journeyman's license in 1966, working for Slutzky Peltz for many years;

Whereas, Mr. Petko was a member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 172 and earned a Master Plumbers License in Indiana and Michigan;

Whereas, On January 1, 1995, Mr. Petko began working for the School City of Mishawaka as the Director of Buildings and Grounds; he served for 11 years on the School City of Mishawaka School Board, including four years as vice president and five years as president;

Whereas, One of Mr. Petko's greatest pleasures was watching his grandchildren play sports and compete in academic competitions;

Whereas, Mr. Petko started a petition to include softball as a varsity sport at Mishawaka High School in 1980, and, as a result of his petition and presentation to the City of Mishawaka School Board, the high school varsity softball program began;

Whereas, Mr. Petko had served as the head coach for the Mishawaka High School softball program since 1989 and expanded the program to include a summer softball program that includes the Lady Cavemen, the Bandits, and other summer softball camps; during the winter he worked with pitchers and catchers on a weekly basis to develop their talents;

Whereas, It was through his efforts that the Lady Cavemen were able to win the Indiana National Softball Association State Championship and place 7th in the National Softball Association tournament;

Whereas, Mr. Petko also served as "the voice" of many of the Mishawaka High School sporting teams, including football, softball, girls and boys basketball, and various volleyball events; and

Whereas, Mr. Petko's death will leave a void in the lives of his family and all who knew him because in all his endeavors, Mr. Petko exhibited a positive attitude resulting in a positive effect on those around him: Therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the

General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
SECTION 1. That the members of the Indiana House of Representatives express their sympathy to the family of Emery S. Petko in their time of grief and express their gratitude for his endless hours of dedicated service to the people of Mishawaka and the surrounding area.
SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of Emery S. Petko

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SOFTBALL Mishawaka's Petko dies Emery Petko, who won more than 300 games in 16 years as soft-ball coach at Mishawaka High School, has died of cancer. He was 63. His teams went 338-115, winning seven sectional tourney championships, one regional title and six Northern Indiana Conference crowns. His final team was 22-8 last spring. Indianopolis Star ...1/26/2005