Peter Edward Polapink, Jr. was born to Angela (Nellie) Naumavich and Peter Polapink, Sr. on January 24,1940 in New York City. He and his younger brother, Paul, grew up during World War II and in the years immediately following, which were challenging times for the World and for the family, with their father having served in the Navy. They lived on St. Mark’s Place in NYC, and they grew up fast, learning to be responsible for themselves while still very young.
He met the love of his life, Annette Bellantoni at a dance and within a few short years, the two were married on April 16, 1961. Nine months to the day later, their daughter Carol was born. Tom, their son followed three years after. Over the years, two dogs populated the Polapink home. Cherese, a feisty toy Poodle, spent the 1970s and early 1980s hunting anything in the back yard that moved. Misty, a light grey Bishon Frise had a gentler nature and preferred to stage her attacks on prey by licking them incessantly.
When Carol and her husband, Paul Gomes brought grandchildren into Pete’s life (Rebecca, Rachel, and Paul), he was right there to help in anyway he could, babysitting, attending school concerts, basketball games, baseball games, track meets, communions, confirmations, and graduations. He was enormously proud of his grandkids, and rightfully so!
Outside of small, odd jobs that he worked as a teenager, Pete spent the majority of his career in the manufacturing world. Starting in assembly, he worked his way up the ladder becoming a prototype modeler, a lead man and eventually Plant Manager. He was a committed, diligent worker at every job he took on, and he had a genuine interest in the people he worked with, and those who worked for him. He was a very fair and logical leader, and he recognized the importance of injecting fun into the mix to make his workplace one that workers would enjoy. He worked continuously at various Long Island companies over his 50-year career including Scanatron, Victor Graphics, Duraline, Telemechanics, Spellman High Voltage and others.
Pete attended the Manhattan School of Aviation Trades and developed a knack for sketching and drawing aircraft while there. He started building aircraft models at an early age and continued to do so throughout his life. From plastic, static-display models to stick and tissue free-flight and radio-control scale models, his excellent craftsmanship was always evident in every project he undertook. He thoroughly enjoyed historical action movies and documentaries and the History Channel on TV continuously.
Pete loved 1950s and 1960s music and started playing guitar as a youngster, which helped him to develop a close bond with his eventual father-in-law, Tom Bellantoni, also a guitarist. By the late 1960s, he was playing music informally with friends. This led to the formation of the band that he played with steadily throughout the 1970s, “Rhythm Incorporated”. They performed 1950s through 1970s pop music almost every weekend for a steady run of ten years at local pubs, firehouse dances, ‘50s sock-hops, weddings, parties, charity events and Knights of Columbus events. They had an exceptionally good following.
Working on cars was another interest of Pete’s, especially his prized 1964 Pontiac LeMans, which he purchased second-hand in 1966 and continued driving right up to 2024. Pete had a special affection for GM station wagons, particularly the super-large wagons of the early to mid-1990s, known as “whales”. His 1996 Collector’s Edition Buick Roadmaster was his daily driver for the past seven years.
He spent a lot of time with his closest friend, Bob Speranza from the 1950s right up until Bob passed away in 2020. Together, they worked at the same companies, built and flew model airplanes, played music, and worked on cars. They also started a tradition of dressing up for Halloween to entertain their grandchildren. They were sometimes known as “Fric and Frac,” they were inseparable, and they shared a lifetime of fun adventures together.
Pete would give the shirt off of his back for anyone in need, and he regularly assisted neighbors with plumbing issues, appliance failures, car problems and everything else in between. He was quick to greet a stranger and always willing to engage in conversation with anyone.
He passed along his solid organizational and leadership skills to his daughter, Carol, and his love of old airplanes and old cars to his son, Tom. He also passed along his big ears to Tom…thankfully, Carol was spared from that fate.
He faithfully dedicated his final years aiding his wife of 63 years, who has been fighting a long, tough battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was right beside her in her greatest times of need, and helped as much as he could for as long as he could.
A genuinely great husband, father, grandfather, cousin, uncle, nephew, and friend. All who knew him loved him, and he will be sorely missed.
A visitation for Peter E. will be held Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at O.B. Davis Funeral Homes, 1001 Route 25A, Miller Place, NY 11764.
A funeral mass will occur Friday, May 3, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St Louis de Montfort RC Church, 75 New York Ave, Sound Beach, New York 11789.
A committal service & interment will occur Friday, May 3, 2024 at 11:30 AM at Washington Memorial Park, 855 Canal Rd, Mt. Sinai, New York 11766.
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