Obituary of Robert William Panatieri

Robert "Bob" William Panatieri, 74, of Plains Township, a humble servant of the Lord, was welcomed home by his maker on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. Bob was born on May 22, 1940, in Plains Township. He was a son to Helen Kowalski Panatieri and the late Sylvio Panatieri. Bob attended local Plains schools and was a graduate of the Plains Memorial High School, Class of 1958. When Bob was eighteen he joined the Army National Guard and was assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, of the 109th Field Artillery. He was honorably discharged after his terms of service. Bob was a hard worker all his life. He worked for the Mancia Brothers Grocery Store and the Sunshine Market for several years. Then Bob accepted a position with the Plains Township Fire Department. Through his excellent work ethics, Bob started the Plains Township Fire Education and Prevention Program in 1980 and is still continuing today. Bob's program model is still being used to instruct hundreds of children each year in fire safety. Bob, also in 1980, started the Plains Fire Department Muscular Dystrophy "Fill the Boot Drive" to help raise money and awareness. This drive is conducted annually by the fire department. Over his thirty year career, Bob was the first mechanical chief, before their ever was one at the station. He was a tinkerer and loved to fix any problems that arose with the equipment. He was also in charge of the firemen's pension plan for several years. For his service, Bob was promoted to assistant chief and later retired in 2006 as the Deputy Chief. In 2005, Bob took on the responsibility of being a security guard for the Social Security Administration, Plains, and recently retired after ten years of service. In his spare time Bob loved to go boating, fishing, spending time in the outdoors; tending to his tomato plants and garden, and especially traveling to see his son in Tennessee. He was an avid fan of Penn State Football. He was also a member of St. Maria Goretti's Church, Laflin. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, the former Betty Mindzak, at home; mother Helen Panatieri, Plains; son Bob Jr, TN; brothers Sylvester, Plains, and Alfred and his wife Donna, Plains; sister Barbara Antinovitch, Laflin; one niece; two nephews; and his three loving cats. Mr. Panatieri's Funeral will be held, on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 9:15 a.m., from the Yanaitis Funeral Home Inc., 55 Stark Street, Plains. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00AM in St. Maria Goretti Church, 42 Redwood Drive, Laflin. Mass will be celebrated by Rev. JosephSibilano,O.S.J.. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family. Family and friends may call on Friday at the funeral home from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Plains Fire Education and Prevention Program. Online condolences and for directions to the services, please accesswww.yanaitisfuneralhome.com.