Eugene W. Petruski

As a child, Gene grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He loved baseball and spent weekends exploring nature in Swartswood, New Jersey and Upstate New York with his family. After high school Gene was invited to try out to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers. While he did not make the team that season, people advised him to try out for the Yankees, but he declined saying he would only play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers or not at all.

After that Gene studied accounting at Pace University. He then went on to work for the accounting department at Walt Disney Productions in New York City. From there Gene joined the United States Marine Corp and proudly served our country as a Marine during the Korean War. After serving in the Marines, Gene decided to go to the New York City Police Academy and became a New York City police officer. He was NYPD for over 20 years.

In the year 1966 he met the love of his life, Mary Smyth, who was an ER nurse in a New York City hospital, Mary Immaculate, when he was working as a NYC policeman. He know it at the time, but it was love at first sight and the beginning of a love story that continues on. Gene and Mary’s love for one another was the definition of true love and evidence that soul mates do exist.

Gene was known for being incredibly kind, patient, and a great outdoorsman and had a quick witted sense of humor that you might miss if you weren’t listening. Gene loved to paint, woodwork, fly fish in Montana and sit back and enjoy the chaos when his family was all together.

Gene is survived by his loving wife Mary Petruski, his daughter Clare Cusick and her husband Tom, his son William Petruski, and his five grandchildren; Cassandra Charles, Benjamin Charles, Olivia Petruski, Samantha Charles and Sophia Petruski.

Visitation for Gene will be held on Tuesday, March 7th from 4 – 8PM at Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ 07871. A service will be held at the funeral home Wednesday, March 8th at 11AM. Interment will immediately follow at Sparta Cemetery.