Part soldier, part storyteller, John Misko was an ordinary man from a warm, immigrant family who valued diligence and put his family first.
“Picking up dog poop and washing windows, that was Dad,” said Ted Misko of Moon, his son. “My parents weren't exactly June and Ward Cleaver, but they were great to us.”
John Misko of Moon, formerly of Sheraden, died Monday, Sept. 9, 2013. He was 90.
His daughter, Janet, recalled his anecdotes — jumping railroad trellises on nickel bets and running Prohibition-era moonshine as a boy. He met his wife, Martha, at her parents' grocery after the war. The two were inseparable for 60 years, spending just one month apart between her death and his.
“He was quiet but he had this appreciation for life,” said Janet Misko of Moon.
Mr. Misko loved children, gardening and being outdoors. He could fix anything, his daughter said, but that tough resolve belied a genteel demeanor.
“My dad was just an average guy,” she said, “but he wasn't average to us.”
When 7-year-old Ted tried chewing tobacco, his father made sure he learned a lesson.
“He wanted you to do the right thing,” Janet Misko said, “and if you couldn't get there on your own, he'd make sure you figured it out.”
A Coast Guard veteran of World War II, Mr. Misko spent his professional career with Shenango Inc. on Neville Island, where he worked for 40 years.
In addition to his two children, Ted and Janet, Mr. Misko is survived by his grandson, Michael Misko of Pittsburgh.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Martha L. Oltmann Misko; four sisters, Mary, Ann, Pearl and Sue Misko; and a brother, Anthony “Ted” Misko.
The family asks that memorial contributions be sent to the Baptist Home Employee Appreciation Fund, 489 Castle Shannon Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15234, or Family Hospice & Pallative Care, 50 Moffett St., Pittsburgh, PA 15243.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Copeland's, 981 Brodhead Road in Moon. Services are at 10 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home, with interment in Jefferson Memorial Park.
Megan Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-388-5815 ormharris@tribweb.com.
