John F. Starego

John "Pap" Starego of Shady Acres, Kulpmont, passed away in his home, surrounded by his family, on August 22 after a brief illness.

John was born on October 10, 1938, to Catherine (Molesevich) and John A. Starego, and spent his childhood with his younger sister Maryann in Marion Heights.

After graduating from Kulpmont High School in 1956, John worked some jobs for a year before deciding to enlist in the Air Force in 1957 with his cousin, Joe, and friend, Pauly. From 1957 to 1961, his service took him across the world from Texas and California to Thule, Greenland, and a longer stint in South Korea. John had many stories to share of his time in the Air Force that he often shared with his family. One of his favorites was a story of how he and a friend would sneak into the officers' club and golf course to play a round of golf amongst the officers at Osan Air Base in South Korea. Though he traveled far, John always considered himself a "Heights guy" and came home to settle in Pennsylvania. Shortly after serving his country, John met the love of his life, Dorothy Rogutski, through his future brother-in-law, Frank. They met at "The Canteen" in Marion Heights in 1962 and later married in 1964. They were inseparable for the next 61 years. Through marriage, Frank, Elaine, Bill, and Patsy became additional lifelong brothers and sisters, whom he loved dearly.

Always a husband and father, John always chose to work close to home to make sure he could be home for dinner and homework every night and also coach his sons in youth sports. For over 20 years, he worked at the nearby Shamokin Packing Company, and in his later years, he prepared taxes with H&R Block in the Shamokin office. He also tended bar on weekend nights at the Wooden Nickel during its heyday.

John was a passionate sports fan. He loved coaching his three sons on the Kulpmont Cougars Little League team, and later the Jan Sobieski Teener League. He also coached them on the St. Mary's CYO basketball team. Alongside his lifelong friend, Frank Ardan, he held Red Tornado season tickets starting in the 1960s, and attended as many games as he could until his 70s. In his later years, he especially enjoyed watching the Lesko brothers' broadcast on WKMC TV. He also loved the Phillies, Penn State football, and the Eagles.

John's home was his castle. No task was either too big or too difficult to tackle along with his dad, two brothers-in-law, Frank and Bill, and his sons, whose favorite task was "hold the ladder". He was still out trimming bushes and mowing the lawn within weeks of his passing. But no matter what he was doing around the house, he would stop what he was doing for any opportunity to talk to one of his beloved grandchildren on the phone.

John had a great sense of humor and loved telling and hearing jokes with friends and neighbors, and would often tell a new "Polish joke" at the dinner table. One of his favorite breaks from working in the yard was a visit from his neighbor Ron for a garage cold beer and ten minutes of the latest jokes and puns they had recently heard. In his later years, John was an avid reader of James Patterson and Stuart Woods. When asked if he liked to read, he wouldn't hesitate to pull out his list of over a hundred "Patterson books" he had read. John loved the local newspaper, which he had read since its inception in 1968. He eagerly awaited the News Item delivery every morning and read it with his morning coffee, sharing the local news with his sons on their next phone call.

As a parishioner of St. Mary's, later Holy Angels, he attended the 10:30 Mass every week with his boys while they were home, and later, the Saturday evening Mass with his beloved wife.

John will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. His good humor and quick wit were noted by everyone. He took immense pride in his family, chose to spend his time with his loved ones, and held a deep affection for his hometown. He was a quiet man, who preferred listening over speaking, and when he did share a thought, it was often laced with a low, mischievous humor that caught you off guard and made you smile. Even though he was a man of few words, his family knew how much he loved them. Dorothy, his boys, his grandchildren, his sister, and his extended family were his whole world.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy, sister Maryann Petrovich of St. Petersburg FL., sons Anthony (Adrienne), John (Joanna) and Michael (Sherry), 10 grandchildren: Anthony (Allison), Nicole, Katie, Mason, Nathan, Charlotte, Annabelle, Michael (Sarah), Renee, Zachary, and great granddaughter Noelle Mary. He is also survived by his grand-pets, Maggie, Cocoa, and Phoebe.

Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 11 a.m. with Father Andrew Stahmer officiating in the Church of the Holy Angels, 855 Scott St., Kulpmont. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Kulpmont. Viewing will be held in the Church from 10 a.m. until the time of the Mass. Arrangements are in the care of C J Lucas Funeral Home Inc., 1053 Chestnut St., Kulpmont, PA, Ashley P. Doyle, Supervisor. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.cjlucasfuneralhome.com

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