Peter Hart Obituary, Death – Saturday, Peter James Hart, 89, of Hollidaysburg, passed away. His mother, Lillian Walker Hart, and his grandpa, Otto Walker, reared him in Brooklyn, New York, after the tragic death of his father, Peter J. Hart, in 1935. In 1955, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School and City College of New York with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. On September 25, 1955, Peter wed Marie E. Schapfel in New York City, initiating a union that would endure for more than half a century. He was the father of Peter J. Hart Jr. (Stephanie) and Susan Hart Malin (Hank) and the grandfather of Annamarie and Peter J. Hart III, as well as Andrew and Patrick Malin.
After losing Marie to cancer in 2010, Peter was fortunate to discover a new adventure partner. Since February 2012, he has been blissfully married to Maxine Filler Rhodes. Peter, a natural leader, astute thinker, inventive problem-solver, encouraging mentor, and devoted public servant, leaves a record of achievement in college teaching, industry, and the community. While working full time, he got an M.B.A. from Loyola University and an M.L.A. from Johns Hopkins University. His early military duty led to a business career in Baltimore, after which he moved with his family to Altoona/Hollidaysburg in 1975.
The Fifth Avenue Coach Company, the New Haven Railroad, American Car and Foundry, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, Berwind Railway Services, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania benefited from his extraordinary abilities. He departed as president and CEO of Altoona Pipe and Steel in 1998 after twenty years of service. Peter served with distinction on the Frankstown Sewer Authority, the Frankstown Board of Supervisors, and the Hollidaysburg School Board. He was a well-known figure in Hollidaysburg’s public life. He was an active participant in local Republican Party events, a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Altoona and Tip Clubs, and the chapter leader of SCORE in Altoona.
Peter benefited his family, friends, and community by being accomplished and well-respected in all that he did, as well as encouraging, kind, and kind to everyone he met. In our time of grief, we are sustained by recollections of his unrivaled sense of humor, vivid tales, and unfailing optimism. The family would like to thank Peter’s physicians and the Grane Hospice Care staff for their care and comfort throughout his final illness. Sunday, January 22, 2023, from 2 to 5 p.m., guests will be received at The Stevens Mortuary Inc., 1440 Eighth Avenue, Altoona. A funeral ceremony will be place on Monday, January 23, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the Stevens Memorial Chapel, officiated by Monsignor Stanley Carson.