Peter Popovich 1931-2025

He was born Aug. 29, 1931, to Janko and Sava Mrvos Popovich and grew up on Wayne Avenue on the South Side of Youngstown.

He graduated as a proud South High Warrior in 1949 and attended Colgate University on a football scholarship. He graduated from Colgate in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and then earned his master’s degree from Colgate the following year. He always said it was a miracle that a poor boy from the South Side of Youngstown graduated from such an excellent university.

Pete then served in the U.S. Air Force for two years at Bolling Air Force Base before returning home to Youngstown to begin his career in public education, which he always championed as the great social equalizer at the time.

He met his beloved wife, the former Kathryn “Kitty” Stanish, when they both sang in the choir at Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Youngstown. They were married June 11, 1960, and would have celebrated 65 years together this year.

Pete taught biology at South High, his alma mater, coached the basketball and football teams there throughout the 1960s and then became the assistant principal at Princeton Junior High School. From there, he accepted the job of principal at South Range High School in 1973 and retired from that position in 1991. He forged many lifelong friendships and relationships throughout those years.

Pete leaves behind his loving wife of 64 years, Kathryn “Kitty” Stanish Popovich, and his four children, Karen (Ronald) DeAmicis of Austintown, Dr. Peter (Ange) Popovich of Louisville, Kentucky, Dan Popovich of Austintown and Nancy (Dan) McCarthy of Canfield.

He will be especially missed by his 12 grandchildren, Ron DeAmicis, Jamie (Tom) Webber, Dr. Peter (Bianca), Nicholas Popovich, Alexandra (Dylan) McGuire, John Isaac (Taylor) Popovich, Lilli Popovich, Chrissy Popovich, Luke Popovich, Justin Popovich, Kathryn McCarthy and Daniel McCarthy. He also leaves nine great-grandchildren, Peter, Sofia and Rose Popovich, Aiden, Zoe and Nolan McGuire, Ethan and Matt Karpinski, and Storie Grace Webber.

Pete frequently attended his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events. He collected baseball caps from every school they attended and wore them proudly as he cheered from the stands. He never missed a birthday, sending a card with $25 to every single child and grandchild, even as adults. He always encouraged his children to be inquisitive and he fostered a love of learning in his children and grandchildren.

In retirement, he enjoyed traveling with Kitty, especially a long trip to Europe, where he was able to meet his cousins in Yugoslavia and visit the childhood homes of Janko and Sava.

He enjoyed golfing, bicycling and an occasional trip to the casino to play video poker and eat a good meal. He did ask his kids to mention, jokingly, that he hated bingo. When he could no longer play golf, he would join his kids on the course to drive the cart and keep score. Pete was a voracious reader up until his passing; he read a book a week almost every week and loved to talk about what he read.

In addition to his parents, Pete was predeceased by his sister, Sylvia Albright; brother, John Popovich of Austintown; and his beloved son-in-law, Daniel McCarthy.

The family would like to thank Pete’s family doctor, Armand Minotti, DO, who cared for him diligently for over 40 years, as well as his podiatrist, Dr. Catherine Karlock. In addition, a special heartfelt thanks to the staff at Windsor House Liberty who showed such compassion and professionalism to Pete in his time of need.

Pete was a man of prayer and deep faith. His favorite scripture was Psalm 143, which saw him through many difficulties through the years. He prayed an hour every morning and kept a written list of family and friend’s prayer intentions. Even in his infirmity, his constant prayer forged a close friendship with Christ, with whom he now resides.

Services will be 3 p.m. Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Vaschak-Kirila Funeral Home in Cornersburg, where the family will receive friends 1 to 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Holy Trinity Church, 39 Laird Ave., Youngstown, OH 44509 or Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley at www.rescuemissionmv.org.

Vaschak-Kirila Funeral Home handled all of the arrangements for the family.

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