City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
John F. Petras, Jr.
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Age 77.
Died 09/25/2025.
October 2, 1947 – September 25, 2025
John F. Petras, Jr. lived a life of adventure, service, and unwavering faith. On September 25, 2025, he passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by the love of his family.
Born in Plainfield, NJ, and raised in Dunellen, John was part of the first graduating class of St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen (1965). From an early age, he embraced life with energy and curiosity, a spirit that would carry him across the world.
John proudly served his country in the United States Navy, stationed in Japan and San Diego. His years of service shaped his character and deepened his sense of duty and honor. After his Navy career, he continued to serve as a Merchant Marine and later as a Master Fitness Trainer with the Army National Guard.
Education was important to John. He earned his degree from the University of South Florida and later an MBA from the University of Southern California. But his greatest lessons came from life itself—through friendships, faith, and the countless places he called home, from Manasquan to San Diego, Wake Forest, and even San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
A lifelong music lover, John attended the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. His love for music grew alongside his love for travel, with favorites ranging from Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana to Bob Marley and Mariachi. His adventurous spirit led him to colorful corners of the world, and in retirement, he spent nearly a decade living part-time in San Miguel de Allende. Before that, he enjoyed life at the Jersey Shore, where he was an avid fisherman on the boats of Point Pleasant. Wherever he lived, John stayed active—running marathons, walking daily, and proudly counting over 10,000 steps a day.
Faith was the foundation of John’s journey. One of his most treasured experiences was being baptized in the River Jordan. His love for God guided him through every season of life, and in recent years, he found strength and fellowship in his Band of Brothers Men’s Prostate Cancer Support Group. John never met a stranger—his warmth and openness turned acquaintances into lifelong friends.
John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elizabeth Petras. He is survived by his sisters Elizabeth Petras, Mary Ann Petras & Michael Jacula, and Christine Petras & George David Medina; nieces and nephews Dr. Matthew & Kacey Stillwagon, Andrew & Megan Stillwagon, John Jacula, Clare Jacula, Christopher Medina, Ashley & Dayton Rhymes; great-nieces and nephews Micah, Chance Matthew, Xavier, Carmen, Layla; his Aunt Helen Chasse of Middlesex, NJ; and many cousins and dear friends across the world.
John showed us an unwavering dedication to God, family, and the country he served. All with commitment, honor, and integrity. He left a deep love for life to remain as his family inheritance, in the world and for peace. His legacy of love, service, and commitment will forever be remembered by those who loved him in life and will love him forever. What a comfort it is to know that John now rests in the presence of the Savior he loved so deeply.
A Celebration of Life with full military honors will be held at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ, on October 20, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Amigos for Christ or the Wounded Warrior Project in his name.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.