Obituary of John T. Polancy

Former Erie Morning News Sports Editor, John T. “Jack” Polancy, age 86, passed away Sunday, May 15, 2016, due to complications from diabetes. He was born in Erie, PA on November 13, 1929, the son of the late Joseph and Jenny Polancy. He worked for the Times Publishing Company for 42 ½ years, from June 1956 until; he retired in January 1999. He was Sports Editor of the Erie Morning News from August 1960 to September 1985. During his tenure with the Times, he covered all sporting events from the Locals to the Nationals, while also writing a daily sports column entitled “Inside Sports” which earned him a Keystone Press Award as the top sports columnist in Division 2 in Pennsylvania in 1962. Jack was a member of the Associated Press Sports Editors, the National Association of Baseball Writers, the Football Writers Association of America, the National Motorsports Press Association, the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Association, the Bowling Writers Association of America, and the Golf Writers Association of America. He was a Director of the United States Basketball Writers Association, a five-year member of the Heisman Trophy Selection Board, a long-time member of the Erie Stadium Commission and the Newspaper Guild. He served in the United States Air Force and was a member of the American Legion Post 771. Since his retirement, he worked for Professional Delivery & Courier for Champion Ford and Superior Toyota. While employed with Superior Toyota, he wrote a sports column for their blog – sharing his experience, knowledge, and very individual point of view. Besides his parents, Jack was preceded in death by his brothers, Joseph Polancy and Jerome Polancy; brother-in-law, John Kifer; and, stepdaughter, Bonnie Fijal. He is survived by his son, Mario John Loreti and his daughter, Karen Marie (Charles) Lloyd, both of Erie, whom he adopted from Italy with his first wife, Marie Nichilo Polancy; brother, James (Elaine) Polancy; sisters, Joan (Ray) Parenti, Judy (Martin) Swabb and June Kifer, all of Erie; grandchildren, Gina Loreti (Justin) Kline of OH and Matthew Loreti Cranesville, PA; and, great-grandchildren, Kellen Kline and Kylie Kline of OH. He is further survived by stepdaughter, Holly (Rob) Manning of CA and her mother, Toni Polancy, of HI; cousins, nieces, nephews and Betty Jean Albert, with whom he lived in Millcreek since 2014. Friends are invited to the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Road, Erie, PA 16506, on Friday, May 20, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. until time of Prayer Service at 11:15 a.m. Burial will follow at Laurel Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Erie County Diabetes Association, 1128 State Street, Suite 302, Erie, PA 16501 or the Humane Society of Northwestern PA, 2407 Zimmerly Road, Erie, PA 16506.