Edward J. Gernat

Edward J. Gernat, 96, passed away quietly at the home of his son, Mark Gernat, in Georgia, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. He was a former resident of Natrona Heights (Fawn Township) until July of 2022 and a parishioner of Guardian Angels Catholic Parish in Natrona Heights. Edward (Ed) was born in May of 1929 to his parents, Mary Murar Gernat and Peter Gernat, living in West Tarentum, during his early life. He enjoyed the many freedoms of childhood while living there and participated in a group that raced pigeons. Ed was a 1948 graduate of Tarentum High School and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked at Pittsburgh Plate Glass and retired from HJ Heinz after 33 years of service as a millwright. Ed and his wife of 63 years, Edith (Edie) Pobicki Gernat, married and raised a family of five children in the towns of Brackenridge and Natrona Heights (Fawn Township). He was an avid researcher of his family history before Ancestry became available online. He and his wife traveled many times to Slovakia and around the U.S., meeting and visiting with relatives he had connected with. They also enjoyed their travel to many countries around the globe, as well as travels with his family and friends. He was a lifetime member of the Brackenridge Pioneer Hose Fire Company and a member of the VFW and Slovak Club in Creighton, where he enjoyed meeting friends and playing euchre up until the time of his move to Georgia. He was a little league baseball coach and treasurer for the local Boy Scouts when his sons were young. He also enjoyed beekeeping, gardening, and building things, and he was always tinkering in his garage or shed, making or fixing things. He will be missed. Ed was predeceased by his parents; his wife, Edie (2015); son, Regis (two days old); and sisters, Elizabeth (Betty) Gernat Bresuciak and Mildred Gernat. He is survived by his daughter, Sherry L. Gernat (James) Murphy of DE; son, Mark A. Gernat of GA; son, Christopher J. (Natalia Rusak) of NJ; daughter, Jennifer L. Gernat of DE; daughter, Leslie A. Collier of FL; as well as his nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held at 9 until the blessing service at 10 a.m. Friday, July 25, 2025, in DUSTER FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES INC., 347 E. 10th Ave., Tarentum, 724-224-1526. Burial will be private in Our Lady of Hope Cemetery, Frazer Township, where he will be laid to rest with his wife, Edie, and son, Regis. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Eureka Hose Ambulance Services, 304 E. Third Ave., Tarentum, PA 15084; a local beekeeping organization; or the American Slovak Protective Society, 735 Creighton, PA 15030. Funeral Masses in his name would be appreciated. Visit dusterfh.com.