BROOKFIELD - It is with sadness that we mourn the passing of Ergia “Jean” Petrarca Guarnieri, 104, on Friday February 17, 2017.  She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, while under the care of Hospice of the Valley.

Ergia was born in New Kensington, PA, on February 6, 1913, the ninth daughter of Italian immigrants, the late Celestino and Enrichetta D’Amico Petrarca, and moved to Youngstown with her family.

                A devoted member of St. Joseph’s Church on Rayen Avenue and for the last sixty seven years at St. Edward’s Catholic Church on Tod Lane.  Ergia served on many church committees.  She was co-founder of the PTA at St. Joseph’s and program chairman of the Sacred Heart Mission Auxiliary’ she was a cub and girl scout leader, one of the first women Eucharistic ministers, vice-president and then president of the Garden Club all at St. Edward’s, she was also a Golden Pillar of St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church.

                While still at East high School, Ergia Helped her father who published the Italian newspaper Il Cittadino Italo-Americano by operating the printing press.  Upon her graduation in 1933 she served as a clerk at the city tax department and later as a sales clerk at Strouss Hirshberg where she became the first female supervisor at the Liberty Plaza store.  After many years of service to Strouss’ which became the May Co. then later Macy’s, Jean retired in 1978.

                Ergia was an avid golfer well into her 90’s and an active league bowler up to her 101st birthday.  She was both President and Vice-President of the Girard Ladies Golf League and Vice-President of the married Ladies Bowling League of the North Side.  She was a gardening enthusiast who served as Chairman of the Mill Creek Garden Center and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Garden Forum of the Greater Youngstown Area.  Ergia shared her talents, her enthusiasm and her energies as second Vice-President of Girard Senior Citizens Club and as a Trustee of the Stambaugh Pillars recently being honored as a lifetime member Emeritus.  She cherished gardening, reading, working crossword puzzles and was an avid fan of the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns.  Jean’s first love, though, was enjoying time with her family and friends.

                Ergia was the adored mother of two daughters, Diana (Donald) Danko of Youngstown and Monica Piskura of Sheffield Lake; and a son, Anthony “Jody” (Diane) Guarnieri of Brookfield; the worshipped grandmother of ten; the cherished great grandmother of twenty three; the revered great-great- grandmother of three; and the beloved aunt of many nieces and nephews.

                In addition to her parents, ten sisters and three brothers, Ergia was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph of sixth seven years.

                In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to Hospice of the Valley, 5190 Market Street, Youngstown, OH 44512 or St Edward Church, 240 Tod Lane, Youngstown, OH 44504.

                Family and friends are invited to gather on Monday the 20th of February at St. Edward Church for visitation from 10 to 10:45 a.m. where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. with Monsignor Robert Siffrin and interment will be at Calvary Cemetery.

                Thoughts and condolences may be sent to the funeral home website www.mccauleyfuneral.com.                                       

                Arrangements by the McCauley Funeral Home serving the valley for more than 115 years! 

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