John C. Petro, a resident of Poolesville, MD, passed away on Tuesday January 24th, 2023. He was 64 years old.

John grew up in Rockville, Maryland and graduated from Robert E. Peary High School in 1977. He attended the University of Maryland where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and later a Master’s equivalent in Teaching. John learned the trade of auto body repair from his father. After working in auto shops, John began a career at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the 1990s applying thermal coatings on spacecraft. John’s work flew on over 30 satellites, including the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the James Webb Space Telescope, and will fly on missions still to launch. In parallel, John held a career as a High School teacher where he taught auto body skills to the next generation at Thomas Edison High School. John’s favorite hobbies were skiing, airbrushing, and spending time with his rescue dogs Molly and Biscuit. He loved red velvet cake and his mom’s yellow bean soup.

John is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Susan Petro, two loving children, Elaine Petro (son-in-law Peter O’Halloran), and Timothy Petro (daughter-in-law Kimberly Westbrook), cherished granddaughter, Madeline Petro O’Halloran, devoted mother, Susan Petro, caring sisters Kathy Petro (brother-in-law Marty Riskam), and Marie Petro (brother-in-law Tom Jenkins), kind Godmother, Joyce Tokas. He is preceded by his father, John Petro. He leaves behind his faithful dog, Molly.

The family will receive friends at St. Mark Orthodox Church, 7124 River Road, Bethesda, MD, 20817 on Friday January 27, 2023 from 2:00-4:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM. A memorial service will be held at 7:00 PM. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Parklawn Memory Garden, Rockville, MD.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, St. Mark Orthodox Church, or a charity of your choice.

On the day of the service,

you can watch the live stream by going to: https://youtube.com/saintmarkorthodoxchurch