Peter Ranich

Peter Ranich, Jr.born 3 February 1919 to Croatian immigrants Peter and Sofija (Raletic) Ranich, Jefferson Township, (now Jefferson Hills Boro), Allegheny County, PA.  Peter married Helen “Lily” Damico of Coal Valley Road, Jefferson Twp.  Pete was employed at U.S. Steel, Clairton Works (formerly Carnegie Steel)   An Army veteran of WWII,  Pete went to Europe with the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion.  He was in five campaigns – Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Germany.  A shrapnel hit wounded him during fighting near Liebermont France, and he was hospitalized for two months.  He received the purple heart, bronze star and five battle stars.  After the war he returned to the Clairton Works and at that time decided to take the Civil Service examination for police work.  He worked for the Jefferson Hills Borough Police Department for 28 years and retired as a lieutenant. Pete was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91 as wll as the Borough and Towship Police Association. He also served as a Borough councilman from 1980 until his death in 1982  He resided in Jefferson Hills Borough his entire life and lived along Route 51 then Coal Valley Road in the Borough.  He died January 25, 1982.  His wife Lily died in March 1982.  They had two daughters and one son.