Obituary of Charles Joseph Patla, Sr.

Charles Joseph Patla, Sr., age 69 of Sweet Valley, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at the Hospital Of The University Of Pennsylvania Philadelphia. Mr. Patla was born in Wilkes-Barre on March 26, 1946 and was the son of the late Charles L. and Lorraine Parker Patla. Charles was a 1965 graduate of Lake Lehman High School. He served with the Big Red 1 Company in the Vietnam War from 1968-1969, and was a retired Veteran of the Army National Guard 109th Field Artillery for 32 years. After serving in the war he worked for B.G. Coon Construction in Wyoming for 10 years then worked for PennDot for 25 years until his retirement. Charles loved cooking, driving his tractors, and spending time with his family and friends on the porch of the farmhouse, his favorite place in the world, overlooking the pond. Fondly referred to as "Dziadzi", his world was his grandchildren Mishka, My Little Jaker, and Dana. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Kathleen Sorber Patla who passed away in 1982. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Gayle Luketic Patla; son, Charles J. Patla, Jr. and his wife Sarah; grandchildren, Caylin and Jacob Patla; step-son, Richard Post and his wife Linda; step-granddaughter, Dana Post; two brothers and three sisters; many nieces and nephews. Private services will be held at the convenience of the family. Future interment will be in the Patla Cemetery, Sweet Valley. Arrangements are by the Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home, Inc., corner of routes 29 and 118, Pikes Creek. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to be made to the Clyde F. Barker Penn Transplant House, 3940 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 in memory of Charles J. Patla, Sr. The family would like to thank the staff at the hospital for their care and compassion.