May 22, 2013 2 min read

State Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, is inviting the public to join him on Memorial Day in honoring the memory of a community member with the naming of the span carrying State Route 2023 over Pigeon Creek in Carroll Township as the Stanley Jurgaitis Memorial Bridge.

“Stanley Jurgaitis was a patriot, a family man and a pillar of the community,” said Daley, who sponsored the bridge-designation legislation in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

The dedication ceremony will be held at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the bridge. Family members will be joined by Deacon Alex Poroda of St. Damien of Molokai Roman Catholic Church, Monongahela, American Legion Post 949, Carroll Township, and state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, who also introduced bridge-dedication legislation.

Jurgaitis, who died in November 2008, returned to his native Hazel Kirk after being awarded a Bronze Star for his gallantry while serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. Sgt. 1st Class Jurgaitis was a member of the American Legion in Dunkirk and honored those who sacrificed their lives in defending their country by personally maintaining the honor roll in Hazel Kirk for many years.

Jurgaitis worked as a coal miner for more than 20 years for Bethlehem Mines until its closing. He then spent the next 28 years working at Fisher and Porter Co. in Montgomery County until his retirement, when he again returned to the Mon Valley.