A funeral mass took place July 1 at St. Joseph’s Church, Jersey City, for Thomas Petrick, 90, a longtime Jersey City resident. He died June 28 at Crest Pointe Care Center in Point Pleasant following a short illness. He was the popular chief salesman and buyer for Barrett’s men’s clothing store in Jersey City for decades before retiring to his second home in Point Pleasant Beach. Both his Jersey City and shore homes were labors of love, as he remodeled them from the ground up as a talented home redesigner. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he spent his teen years working as a soda jerk at the La Petite soda fountain and ice cream counter near Al’s Academy in Jersey City, where he met his wife, the late Barbara Petrick, and they were married for more than 50 years. He held an associate’s degree from Pratt School of Design in New York City. He was an adept sketch artist and painter. With an infectious laugh and a flare for hospitality, he was a gifted and prolific home chef, the maker of many a killer Christmas eggnog and the host of many gala New Year’s Eve parties at both his homes through the years. A father and grandfather who attended every birthday party, Little League and Pop Warner football game, he was known as “grandpa” to all who knew and loved him. He was equally beloved to his black lab Morgan, who also survives him. He is survived by children Mary Catherine Petrick-Orrok, William Petrick and John Petrick, and grandchildren Robert Orrok, Thomas Orrok, Emily DuVal, Sarah Petrick and Andrew Petrick. Services arranged by the McLaughlin Funeral Home, Jersey City.
