John G. Gorek, age 96, passed away on October 10, 2011. He was married to Ida M. Gabellini Gorek for 62 years when she passed away in 2004.
After 35 years of service, John retired from Bethlehem Steel in 1971 as Chief of Clerk of the Standard Mills.
Born in Bethlehem on April 25, 1915, John worked hard to give back to his community. In 1930 he became involved with the Boys Club of Bethlehem as both a member and a volunteer youth leader. In 1937 John served as President of the Boys Club Fraternity, and 1938 he initiated the Banquet of Champions. He remained active with this project for the next 50 years, serving as a board member and Secretary of the Board. Other honors and awards include the Man & Boy Award from Boys Clubs of America, the Keystone and the Edwin F. Van Billiard Award from the National Alumni Association and The Dream Come True Award in 1995.
He was a member of the St. Elizabeth R.C. Church as well as the Golden Agers.
John is survived by his son in law, F.T. Moss of Decatur, AL; 3 grandchildren, Kristen Moss Landry and her husband Craig of Greenville, NC, Kevin Moss and his wife Stacy of Atlanta, GA and Bryan Moss of Austin, TX; 4 great grandchildren Braden, Jillian, Benjamin and Maxwell; 2 sisters, Margaret Scuderi and Elizabeth Jonnassen. He is predeceased by his wife Ida Gabellini Gorek; daughter Sandra C. Moss; his mother and father Joseph and Christine Yost Gorek; brother, Joseph Gorek and sister Rose Gorek Graf.
The family would like to extend a heart-felt "thank you" to Monica Csencsits and her family for all the love and support.
Contributions may be sent to St. Elizabeth R.C. Church, Whitehall Public Library and the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem.
Services: A graveside service will be held on Sat. at 2PM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery on Fullerton Ave. in Whitehall. On line condolences can be made at weberfuneralhomes.com