Thomas Perjol

Thomas Perjol of Brookfield, died at 2:17 AM Monday at Sharon Regional Hospital. He was 83. The son of Florea and Anna Tuca Perjol, Tom was born on a farm on Sheep Hill, New Castle, PA, on Oct. 16. 1921. After a 35 year career as a newsman, retiring in 1983, Mr. Perjol opted to become a freelance writer, authoring the Frank H. Buhl Story, History of the Protected Home Mutual Life Insurance Co., History of the Bar Association of Mercer County, Musings of a Fence Straddler, a novel, 'Days of OCtober,' and more than 20 short stories. Before starting in journalism, he edited and published an entertainment guide called 'The Warrenite,' while attending Youngstown College and working as nigh desk clerk at the former Hamilton Park Hotel in Warren, Ohio. He was the Warren Tribune Chronicle's police, fire and municipal court reporter for six years, from 1948 until 1954, when he joined the Herald as its courthouse reporter in Mercer. He later was assigned to the Farrell, Sharon and Brookfield Twp. Beats, and then became the newspaper's first business writer, serving in that capacity for 25 years. The recipient of numerous Lartz Awars, Mr. Perjol had the longest tenure as a reporter. He was never interested in becoming an editor. He had served as a 'stringer' for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for three years, and sold news and feature stories to the Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer, News Sundicates, and the National Enquirer. Mr. Perjol was presented a 'Citation of Appreciation' from the Board of Trustees of the Industrial Information Institute, Inc., Youngstown, on Jan. 24, 1984, 'For more than 35 years of accurate and objective newspaper reporting,' and 'For a distinguished record as business, industry and labor writer.' During World War II, Mr. Perjol served as a technical sergeant, battalion historian and intelligence NCO with the 61st Medical Battalion, participation in the D-Day (June 6, 1944) invasion of Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, and was awarded the Bronze Star, French Croix DeGuerre with Palm, and two battle stars for the Normandy and Northern France Campaigns. After teaching and evacuating 1, 000 casualties on D-Day and 1, 500 the next day, the battalion was honored with the Meritorious Unit Award. A long-time devotee of the arts, Mr. Perjol was chairman of the former Brookfield Summer theater; past president and chief fund raiser for the Valley Arts Guild, and a founding member of the Columbia Theater Committee. He formerly served as chairman of the Shenango Valley Committee on Employment for the Physically Handicapped, and was a former member of the Brookfield Optimist Club. In addition to attending Youngstown College for nearly three years, he was a graduate of the Newspaper Institute of America, New York City. Ge was a member of St. Joseph Church, Sharon, PA. Mr. Perjol was married for 31 years to Irene Elizabeth Problys, who died on July 13, 1979. He married his second wife, the former Elizabeth J. Krishock Perfett, on Dec. 2, 1983. Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Tina Ann Perjol, wife of Abbas SAffar, Long Beach, CA, and Mrs. Gregory (Cynthia Jean Perjol), Santa Ana, CA; a stepdaughter, Mrs. Donald R. (Antoinette 'Toni') McCamant, Sharon, PA' four grandchildren, Leila and Isabel Saffar, Lindsey and Andrew Thomas Fischer; Four Step grandchildren, Mrs. Nicole Walzer, Dr. Colleen McCamant, Mrs. Megan Pinfield Conneely and Nathan Pinfield; 2 great granddaughters, Rhys Elizabeth Miller and Ella Renee Walzer; 2 great grandsons Noah Conneely and Emmett Walzer; 2 step son in laws, Dr. Donald R. McCamant and Dr. Lawrence T. Pinfield; a sister, Mrs. Florence Shelter, Huntsburg, OH. Three half-brothers, Michael, John and Daniel Chegar and a stepdaughter, Mrs. Carolyn May Pinfield, are deceased. There will be a funeral service held 11 AM on THursday (3/31/05) at St. Josephs Church in Sharon with Fr. Marc Stockton. Madasz Funeral Chapel handled the arrangements. Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Brookfield Library or the American Heart Association.