Peter William Kearney

Peter William (Bill) Kearney was born on July 20, 1926, in Olyphant, Pennsylvania. Known as Bill to his family, he was the second of two children born to Francis and Ethel Kearney. Bill and his older brother John were raised in the family home by their hardworking parents—Francis, who labored in the coal mines and served with the Olyphant Volunteer Fire Department, and Ethel, who was devoted to her family and deeply rooted in faith-based traditions. Many of their aunts, uncles, and cousins lived nearby.

Family, faith, education, work, and patriotism were foundational to Bill’s character. At age 14, he began working at a neighborhood grocery store, getting to drive a car to make home deliveries. At 18, during the height of World War II, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school. He served in the Pacific aboard an attack cargo ship with amphibious landing craft, operating in the Philippines, Okinawa, and Japan through the end of the war and beyond.

Following his Navy service, Bill began college in 1946, pursuing his dream of becoming a teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from a Pennsylvania teaching university in 1950 and began work toward a master’s degree. When his father became disabled in 1951 after years in the coal mines, Bill left school to return home and support his family, taking a job with a local taxi company.

It was there that Bill met his future wife, Evelyn Cherochak. She was leaving work early one early morning from her job as a switchboard operator at Bell Telephone which just happened to be across the street from the taxi stand. Evelyn, from nearby Jessup, Pennsylvania, was the fourth of six children born to Frank (also a coal miner) and Mary Cherochak.

Bill and Evelyn were engaged on Christmas Eve 1951 and married on June 28, 1952. At that time, Bill was working at the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey. After their wedding, they moved to Dover, where Bill began working for Prudential Insurance and Evelyn transferred to New Jersey Bell.

In 1957, Bill and Evelyn purchased their first home in Mine Hill, where they lived for the next thirty years. They were blessed with five children. Evelyn was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker—organized, meticulous, and frugal—managing the household with great care. Bill worked long hours, often holding multiple part-time jobs, and took great joy in cultivating a large vegetable garden that produced enough to feed their growing family year-round and even to share with neighbors.

In 1964, Bill accepted a teaching position at Roxbury High School. While teaching full-time and working part-time, he completed his master’s degree in education and guidance counseling, commuting three hours round-trip to the university. Decades later, former students continued to share their appreciation for the values and life lessons instilled in them by “Mr. K.”

Bill also served as a founding member of the Mine Hill Volunteer First Aid Squad, often responding to emergency calls in the middle of the night. He was elected several times to the Mine Hill municipal council and served in positions including Mayor and Police Commissioner.

Bill and Evelyn instilled in their children the values of faith, hard work, education, and service. With their father’s encouragement, each child held various jobs throughout their youth, gaining valuable life experience. Their parents’ example helped them mature, deepen their faith, and develop a lasting love for God, family, and country. Each one went on to pursue a successful and fulfilling career.

After retiring from Roxbury High School in 1986, Bill and Evelyn moved to Jupiter, Florida, where Bill enjoyed playing golf and worked part-time at a local club. They served together in various ministries at their church. In 1997, they relocated to Sun City in Bluffton, South Carolina, where Bill continued to improve his golf game, and Evelyn further developed her painting talent, generously sharing her artwork with friends and family.

In 2014, they moved to Woodbridge, Virginia, where they spent seven years surrounded by the love and care of their daughter, a professional nurse, and a beloved nurse friend who had become like family.

In 2021, Bill and Evelyn returned to Jupiter, Florida, moving into The Watercrest (formerly Your Life of Palm Beach Gardens), where they were lovingly cared for by a devoted staff. Surrounded by nearby sons and their families, and visited often by other siblings and grandchildren, they were continually supported and cherished. Bill’s faithful devotion to Evelyn during these years was a tender reflection of their 72-year marriage. Evelyn went home to be with the Lord in April, 2024. It is fitting that Bill’s celebration of life is being held here at the Watercrest, honoring the community that so compassionately walked with them in their final season.

Bill’s unwavering faith and prayerful trust in God is reflected in these verses from the Old and New Testament:

Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:6 – “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

John 11:25- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Bill leaves behind a rich legacy of love, faith, wisdom, and sacrificial service—gifts he passed on to his family, friends, and the many caregivers who supported and loved him in his later years. His life was a blessing, and his influence will continue to shape lives for generations to come.

Bill is survived by his sons, William (Mary Ann), James (Nancy), Robert (Judy), and Thomas (Colleen); his daughter, Joan; as well as his grandchildren, Chris (Michelle), Kelly, Katie, Phillip, Brad, Adam (Emma), and his late grandson, Evan. Bill is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Joy, Alice, Sam, and Mae, who are the children of Chris and Michelle.