Robert Petracca

Robert Frank Petracca died Dec. 19 at the age of 83. He was born Oct. 30, 1936, in Milford, the son of Anthony Ralph Petracca and Marie DeLuzio Petracca. He graduated from Hopkinton High School, attended Newman Prep School in Boston and graduated from the University of Florida Forest Ranger School.

Robert began his career with J.W. Sewell Company, Consulting Engineers in Old Town, Maine. He later joined the United States Forest Service Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, North Carolina, conducting forest inventories of five of the southeastern states. While conducting a forest survey of South Carolina’s Berkeley County, he met and married his beloved wife of 59 years, Inez Metts Petracca. After moving to Berkeley County, Mr. Petracca accepted a position with Santee Cooper and retired after 30 years of service as vice president of property management, environmental resources, transportation services and building services.

He loved traveling with his family and enjoyed many wonderful experiences touring North America, Canada and various European and Mediterranean countries. He was a true outdoorsman from a boy; the forests, fields, mountains and streams were his passion. He loved the sport of hunting and fishing and he never ceased to tire of nature’s beauty and all it had to offer.

Mr. Petracca, a veteran of the U.S. Army, was a member of the Moncks Corner American Legion Post 126, the Moncks Corner Lions Club, the Moncks Corner Rotary Club, the Berkeley County Forestry Committee, the Moncks Corner Zoning Commission, Woodmen of the World and the South Carolina Forestry Association.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his devoted daughter and the pride and joy of his life, Susan Petracca Murtagh, her husband, Dan, his wonderful, loving and caring sister, Mrs. Terri Moschilli, numerous nieces and nephews, great-niece Joanna Villeponteaux and great-nephew Jackson Villeponteaux. He was preceded in death by brothers John M. Petracca and Anthony R. Petracca.

His funeral service was held at Russell Funeral Chapel (russellfuneralchapel.net) in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, on Dec. 23, followed by interment in St. Johns Baptist Church Cemetery in Pinopolis, South Carolina.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society Donation Center, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 73123 or cancer.org.