Obituary of Dr. Peter Hatala

Dr. Peter Hatala passed into eternal rest on February 24, 2023. Born 8/16/32 (64, 128) in Johnson City, NY. Peter was the 5th child of Nicholas and Josephine Hatala. He is survived by his life companion and forever love Phyllis (Novitske) and his 6 children: Pam (Bill) Scannell, Mark (Jennifer) Hatala, Jeff (Carolyn) Hatala, Nicole (Joe) Ranieri, Kristi (Tom) Lomonaco, and Peter (Erica) Hatala. He was blessed with 19 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. Peter is now reunited in heaven with his parents, his brothers Nicholas (Mary) and Joseph (Adeline) Hatala, and sisters Annie (Leonard) Girnis and Mary (Paul) Gormish. Peter was a lifelong, dedicated parishioner of St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where his father was a founding benefactor. He served as an altar boy for 6 years, performed with the Ukrainian dance group for 10 years and joined the choir at age 13. He continued to sing not only in church but also carried on the Ukrainian tradition of Nativity caroling for the next 77 years. Peter was a trustee on the Parish Board and was Chairman of the Museum and History Committee. He was instrumental in preparing biographies of parishioners from 1930 to present day. Peter graduated from Johnson City High School in 1950 and continued his education at Broome Tech and Albany Pharmaceutical College. In 1960, he graduated Georgetown University with a Doctorate of Dentistry and completed his education at Buffalo University where he earned an advanced degree in Orthodontics. In 1963, Peter returned home to the Binghamton area, started Hatala Orthodontics and continued to work for over 30 years. His practice lives on today through his son Mark and grandson Patrick. Peter served on the Board of the Broome County Dental Society for 3 years and was elected President in 1976. Peter proudly served his country in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Puerto Rico from 1952-1954. He continued his service in the reserves for 8 years. Peter and Phyllis were married on July 11, 1959 and shared a 63 year love affair. Together they raised their family in the eyes of God through St. John's, where Father Frank and Pani Julia Lawryk were honorary family members. They spent many Sunday afternoons at the Novitske farm playing baseball with Father Frank as all-time pitcher. He cherished his family vacations on Kiawah Island and spent his retired winters in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was a great basketball, baseball and tennis player. He enjoyed golf, especially his own "3 Club" tournament. Peter loved to play euchre, drink manhattans (aka "Peters") and do puzzles. It is only fitting that his birthday is "National Tell a Joke Day" because he had a joke for everyone he met. He took pride in his grandchildren and great grandchildren and used his signature whistle to catch their attention. His 22 years as a founding member of the "Yaz Tour" allowed him to see much of the U.S. while he traveled to different NFL stadiums. Peter helped create the Johnson City High School 50 Year Club in 2000 which continues to be well attended every year. Peter truly made the world a better place one smile at a time. Heaven is shining brighter as it gains a true angel and servant of God. The memories of our "Beepa" will forever live on in our hearts and souls. We raise our hands to give you the "Hatala Salute" and hear you singing "We're on our way…", as you join Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in paradise. The family will receive friends at J.A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home, 141 Main Street, Binghamton, NY on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. Father Ivan Synevskyy will offer a Panakhyda service at 5:45 pm. A Funeral Service will be celebrated at St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1 St. John Parkway on Thursday at 11 am. Burial will be in St. John's Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in the spring. For those who wish, memorial donations in Peter's memory may be made to the Endowment Fund of St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1 St. John Pkwy, Johnson City, NY 13790. Memory Eternal Peter, Vichnaya Pamyat