OLIVER PETRINI

PETRINI, Oliver, passed away on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 in Richmond. He was 89. Mr. Petrini and his beloved wife of 63 years, Jewel, moved to Richmond from their long-time home in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2007, to live near their only child, Edward Petrini; their daughter-in-law, Maureen Petrini; and their grandchildren. Mr. Petrini is survived by his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, Anna Petrini of Richmond, and Maria Petrini of Washington, D.C. Born in Eynon, Pennsylvania near Scranton, in 1920, Mr. Petrini began performing as a professional musician at the age of 14. In October 1942, after having moved to Detroit to take advantage of that city's war-time demand for live musical entertainment, he entered the U.S. Army, where he eventually was assigned to a unit that entertained thousands of soldiers and sailors in the Southwest Pacific. At times, he worked with such well-known talents of the day as Jack Benny, Don Knotts (a member of the unit), Joe E. Brown, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Gertrude Lawrence. Following World War II, Mr. Petrini resumed his career as an entertainer and musician, and, in 1949, opened a music school in Dearborn that ultimately counted, by the 1970s, almost 1,000 students per week on its rolls and hundreds of state and national awards for its students. He retired in 1982. Private services will be held at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery at Amelia, Virginia. The family has asked that donations in lieu of flowers, be sent to Tuckahoe Presbyterian Church, 7000 Park Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23226.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.