Dr. John Patrick Petrali

John Patrick Petrali, age 82, of Churchville, MD, passed away on April 21, 2016 at his home. Born in Jersey City, NJ, he was the son of the late John and Yolanda (Stigliano) Petrali. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a Research Anatomist and principal investigator for 54 years before his retirement at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. His federal civilian career began in 1962 as a Biologist in the Pathology Branch of the same organization. During Dr. Petrali's long career at USAMRICD, he has designed and conducted primary research to detect the mechanisms of chemical threat agents and to identify those that may be predictive or diagnostic of injury. His work has led to a number of breakthrough discoveries. He was one of the first to define the effects of nerve agents on the blood-brain barrier as being dependent on convulsive activity and the first to define the sequential ultrastructural immunopathogenesis of blister formations in exposed skin and cornea resulting from exposure to the chemical warfare agent sulfur mustard. These investigations are now considered benchmark studies for the fielding of anticonvulsants as first-line, immediate treatment of nerve agent casualties and for the development of invasive immunodiagnostic strategies to confirm mustard gas exposure. Dr. Petrali began serving the nation in the military while stationed at the former Edgewood Arsenal in 1969 as a medical corpsman private. Prior to being drafted, he had earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV, and a master's in preclinical sciences from the Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. In 1969, he received his doctorate in Anatomy and Pathology from the Medical Graduate Program of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He retired in 2012 working until the age of 79. He loved teaching and studying science and playing golf. He was a Mason at Mt. Ararat Lodge in Bel Air.

Dr. Petrali is survived by his ex-wife, Sadie B. Hose of Bel Air; nephew, Harry Corless of Morris Plains, NJ; nieces, Kelly (James) Simonetti of Newton, NJ and Cindy (Matthew) Zimmer of Morristown, NJ; sisters-in-law: Lucille (Richard) Siebert of Dunwoody, GA, Alta Pollard of Aberdeen, MD and Sheila (Kenneth) Mills of Beverly Hills, FL; nieces and nephews, Tamara (James) McCarthy of Woodstock, GA, Lesley (Arthur) Krauss of Lillburn, GA, Tara Siebert of Ellenwood, GA, Michael (Becky) Siebert of Henderson, TN, Kelley (Steven) Rumovitz of Middletown, CT and Jeffrey Pollard of Aberdeen, MD. He was predeceased by his sister, Marie Corless.