John E. Jayson

John E. Jayson, 88, of the Gino Merli Veterans Center, died Thursday morning at Mercy Hospital. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor Gilbert, in 1970.

Born April 17, 1921, son of the late Frank and Mary Bigar Jayson, he was a member of Our Lady of the Abingtons Church, Dalton. Before retiring, he was employed by the Tobyhanna Army Depot and Timmins Airport Security in Timmins, Ontario, Canada.

A World War II Air Force veteran, he served as a staff sergeant. He was stationed in England as an aerial engineer and gunner on a B-17G in the 8th Air Force. On his 13th mission over Germany his plane was shot down and he became a prisoner of war for 14 months. After his liberation, he received the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.

John was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. A pleasant man, he always had a joke to tell and a kind word. He was a friend to everyone he encountered. He liked to play his guitar, sing and dance. He was also an avid fisherman. He was very close to his granddaughter, Melissa Crook, and husband, Scott, and his grandson, Michael Petherick and wife, Kelly. He especially liked spending time with his great-grandsons.

The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at the Gino Merli Veterans Center for the kindness and loving care it provided John and his family during his stay at the center.

Surviving are a daughter, Cathy M. Petherick and husband, Jacque "Skip" Dalton; four grandchildren; and four great-grandsons, Hunter, Will, Carter and Jake.

He was also preceded in death by six sisters, Margaret Karnafel, Anna Nowalk, Josephine Hendrex, Lucy Osborne, Frances Banick and Mary Conrad; and two brothers, Vincent and Frank.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of the Abingtons Church, Dalton. Interment, St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow .

Friends may call today, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home, 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Our Lady of the Abingtons Church, 700 W. Main St., Dalton PA, 18414. Online condolences may be sent to www. lawrenceeyoungfuneral home.com.