William Charles Petraske

William Charles Petraske, 90, of Goffstown, formerly of Milford and Nashua died September 22, 2004 at Elliott Hospital in Manchester. Mr. Petraske was born January 20, 1914 in Gloversville, NY. He was the son of the late Herman and Jane (Tanner) Petraske. Bill graduated Northeastern University in 1939 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After working on projects such as the development of synthetic rubber for the WWII war effort, he was employed by the Nashua Corporation for 35 years, starting in the lab and retiring as Manager of Manufacturing in 1978. On retiring, Mr. Petraske counseled entrepreneurs throughout southern New Hampshire as a member and later President of the Manchester chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). He served the town of Milford as Building chairman for the Wadleigh Library addition. He chaired the study committee for a New Town Hall. He was a member of the Milford Planning Board and served as Treasurer and then Board Member of the Livermore Community Association. Previously, he served in Nashua as Vestryman and youth group leader for the Church of the Good Shepherd. He worked for over a decade with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a Troop Leader and later as a District Commissioner. Mr. Petraske is survived by his spouse of 66 years, Mrs. Helene (Bevington) Petraske of Goffstown and by his three children: Alan R. Petraske of Annandale NJ, Eric W. Petraske of Bethel, Connecticut, and Elisabeth Petraske Bertsch of Goffstown, NH. He also had four grandchildren: David Osterkamp of Valencia, California, Sasha Petraske of New York City; Stefan Petraske of Wheatogue, Connecticut; and Alana Lowe-Petraske of Bristol, England. There will be a Memorial Service on Wednesday, September 29th at 10:00 AM at the Church of Our Savior Episcopal Church in Milford. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery in Milford.