John Peperakis, 81, died a natural death at his home in Holladay, Utah, January 21, 1993
Born November 28, 1911 in Dawson, New Mexico, son of Angelo and Helen Peperakis. Graduated from Carbon High School, Price, Utah in 1930; graduated Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, 1936. Worked for U.S. Fuel Co., King Mine, during the summers while he attended college as a track later, timberman, section foreman, and mine shift foreman until he was called into military service, June, 1941.In the service, John was a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Solid Fuel Unit attached to Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF). Until the European unit was organized fro men with mining experience to rehabilitate the mines damaged from bombardment in the Essen mining district of Germany. While in the service, John rose from the rank of 1st Lt. to Lt. Colonel.
Following his honorable discharge in December, 1945, John worked as a mining engineer at a coal mine of the Sheridan Coal Company in Monarch, Wyoming, until 1948, when he joined Kaiser Steel Corporation at Sunnyside, Utah as a shift foreman.
John was promoted to assistant manager at Sunnyside and to Mine Manager in 1954, remaining as the top executive and City Mayor at Sunnyside until his retirement in January 1972.
While at Sunnyside, John received national recognition in the coal mining trade for his early employment of hydrolic backfilling for roof support on a massive scale; introduction of the yieldable arch concept and the first successful use of mechanized longwall coal mining in the United States. John served as president of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mine Institute, 1957, and was former member of board of directors of the American Institute of Mining and Metalurgical Engineers, Society of Mining Engineers. He went into consulting work until his retirement in 1992. He was a registered professional engineer in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
He is survived by his wife, Ethel; three children, Elaine Howard of New Mexico; John A. Peperakis, Jr., of Utah; and Stephanie Kerridge of Wyoming; also three sisters and a brother, Angie Katsufrakis, Irene Papadoulis, and Angelo Peperakis, Jr., of California; and Kula Henrie of Utah; stepmother, Alexandria Peperakis of Utah.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen Haralambakis Peperakis; father, Angelo Peperakis; his brother, Pete Peperakis, and sister, Mary Hillas.
He is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City.
Prayer services Monday evening 7:00 p.m. Mitchell Chapel, Price, Utah. Followed by Public Masonic services Monday evening, Mitchell Chapel. Funeral services Tuesday, 1:00 p.m., Greek Orthodox Church, Pirce, Utah.
Interment, Price City Cemetery.
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