Harlan V. Petrich

1942 - 2020

Harlan V. Petrich
August 25, 1942 - November 26, 2020
Resident of Dublin, CA
Harlan V. Petrich passed away on Thursday morning after a courageous battle with cancer. A devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and cousin; he was the glue that held our family together in so many ways. He was a great storyteller with an infectious smile, and he touched us all with his warmth and kindness.
Harlan was born in Graceville, MN to Gerhart and Alvera (Ellingson) Petrich. He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church. His family settled into farming in the Rosholt, SD area. He was the eldest of 4 children and graduated from Rosholt High School in 1960. He attended trade school at Humboldt Institute in Minneapolis, and in 1961 was hired by Capital Airlines in Chicago. He returned to Minnesota and married Ardis Larson in 1962, settling in the suburbs of Minneapolis where he went on to raise 2 daughters, Gina and Alicia. In 1975, he made the tough decision to move from the Midwest and relocate to the Bay Area where he enjoyed a 42-year career at United Airlines in San Francisco, CA.
Harlan was a humble man who loved God and family. A farm kid at heart, he loved everything about the outdoors: camping, fishing, gardening, nature, and animals – especially his beloved dogs and grand dogs, Sparky, Gigi, Cocoa, Penny, and Piper. He was the ultimate grill master, and loved country music, football (the Minnesota Vikings were #1), reading, history, and learning about the world around him. He enjoyed trips across the country to visit national parks, family, and friends and cherished our family trips to Hawaii and Lake Tahoe. He was an active member of St. Philip Lutheran Church in Dublin for over 45 years.
Grateful for having shared his life are his loving and devoted wife Ardis (Larson) Petrich; daughters Gina Petrich of Livermore, CA and Alicia Diamond (Jason) of Alameda, CA; grandchildren Madison Petrich and Quincy Diamond; sister Ilene Zastrow (Dale) of La Crosse, WI and brother Alan Petrich (Mary) of Aberdeen, SD, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Harlan was preceded in death by his parents Gerhart and Alvera, and his brother Brian.
Forever in our hearts, his generous and loving spirit and warm smile will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: St. Philip Lutheran Church, 8850 Davona Drive, Dublin, CA 94568 (In memo line write: Harlan Petrich Memorial) or University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339.


View the online memorial for Harlan V. Petrich