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BELESKI JOSEPH A. "JOCK" Age 96, passed away peacefully in his Baldwin Borough home, one day short of his 97th birthday. Jock was born in a company house of a coal patch outside of DuBois, PA, known by him as "No. 2 shaft". His father died in the flu epidemic of 1918 before he reached his first birthday. He was the youngest of five children to his original parents. His mother remarried and gave birth to two more siblings making him third youngest of seven. He had great admiration and respect for his stepfather for supporting his Mom and taking on five kids. Jock was a member of the "Greatest Generation" that survived both the Great Depression and World War II. He served his country as a civil servant welder, putting ships back together in Pearl Harbor after it had been attacked, and later in the U.S. Army as part of the occupation force in Germany. Jock worked for more than 35 years for the Mesta Machine Company as a welder, helping to build the heavy equipment for the booming steel industry in the U.S. after World War II. He was a longtime member of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church. He was known at St. Elizabeth's and at Mesta as "Joe." Jock was the consummate family man. Nothing was more important to him than family. Jock was the loving and faithful husband of the late Cecelia M. (Uzenas) Beleski for 63 years; he was the beloved father of and survived by children, JoAnn (Tom) Rostek of Baldwin, Patricia (the late Michael) Simodejka of Toms River, NJ, and Richard (Donna) Beleski of Gibsonia, PA; brother of the late Anne (Steve, deceased) Batcha, the late Enoch (Mary, deceased) Beleski, the late Adele (William, deceased) Weber, the late Anthony (Jean, deceased) Beleski, the late Helen (Carl, deceased) Kopp, and George (Vera, deceased) Dereskavich; he was also beloved and survived by his five grandchildren, Thomas (Nancy) Rostek of Sewickley, PA, Kristin (David) Gottesman of Mill Valley, CA, Dawn (Michael) Jacobus of Toms River, NJ, Jason (Ellen) Simodejka of Park Ridge, NJ, and Jennifer (Charles) Leis of New Brighton, PA; two step-grandchildren, Michelle and Michael Abbinanti of Pittsburgh; and seven great-grandchildren, Katie, Andrew, Michael, Kira, Sydney, Leo, and Jesse; Jock was also uncle to six beloved nieces and nephews. Visitation will be on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, INC., 301 Curry Hollow Rd., Pleasant Hills. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church. Interment Jefferson Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Little Sisters of the Poor, 1028 Benton Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15212. Online condolences: www.jeffersonmemorial.biz Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb
