Gregory F. Petras

Gregory F. Petras, 59, passed away on October 21, 2023, in his Broomfield, Colorado, home. He was born August 13, 1964, in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Akron. He graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School where he was a star football player, then attended Ohio University before transferring to Kent State University, where he earned his B.S. degree while gigging as a guitarist in a variety of rock bands and jazz ensembles. Greg drove across the country to Southern California where he studied for a master’s degree at California State University, Los Angeles, and pursued a career in the music industry, including work as a tour coordinator for jazz label MAMA Records.

He met and married his wife, Mary Kate Karr-Petras, in Los Angeles in 2002. The couple relocated to the Denver area in 2003, where Greg worked, enjoyed camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and continued his musical pursuits, including building electric guitars to emulate those played by some of his favorite musicians, such as Eddie Van Halen and Eric Johnson. When he and Mary Kate started their family, Greg quickly adapted to the role of stay-at-home parent and was the doting primary caregiver for their daughters Elyse and Keely until they started attending school.

Greg was a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan who “bled orange and brown,” who’d had season tickets in the Dawg Pound in the 1990s, and who never fully recovered from The Drive, which he’d witnessed in person. Trips back to Ohio for the holidays were usually planned to include a home game so he and his extensive, equally passionate family could tailgate in the Muni lot before heading to the stadium. He loved and followed Cleveland baseball and basketball as well, exalting in and despairing of their ups and downs as any true sports fan does.

Greg started experiencing physical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease shortly after his 50^th birthday, and received a diagnosis two years later. His disease progression was unusually severe in a person of his age and physical vitality. The family would like to thank the Colorado Visiting Nurse Association and The Denver Hospice in particular for their compassionate care of Greg.

In addition to his beloved wife and children, Greg is survived by his adoring mother Louise (the late Jim) Hughes and stepmother Carla Petras; his dear siblings Michalene (Mike) Ebbert, Christopher (Lila) Petras, Brian (Lisa) Petras, Moira (Fedor) Razzuri, John (Marty) Lenehan, Kathleen (Kris) Smith, and Thomas (Julie) Lenehan; his caring brother-in-law Michael Karr; and his nieces and nephews Clayton, Matthew, Drew, Monica, Maddie, Ben, Jenny, Gisela, Andre, Laura Jeanne, Shane, Hannah, Alexandra, Kael, Braeden, and Kate, who remember him as a fun and loving uncle who shared his passion for sports and music with them.

Three days after he passed, Greg was joined in death by his father, Michael Petras. A funeral mass for father and son will be held on Monday, October 30 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Akron, Ohio. A private celebration of life for Greg will be held in Colorado at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or to Archbishop Hoban High School.

Go Browns!