Peter ‘P.J.’ Adonizio was chosen as the grand marshal of the 12th Annual Pittston St. Patrick’s Parade, set for Saturday, March 1.
PITTSTON — It’s been the tradition of the City of Pittston’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade to have a grand marshal, and this year is no exception. The parade committee has chosen a man who has comforted many in times of need making sorrow easier to manage over the decades.
This year’s choice was an easy one to make.
The 2025 Grand Marshal of the 12th Annual St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday, March 1, is Peter “P.J.” Adonizio.
P.J., the founder of Peter J. Adonizio Funeral Home, 251 William St., Pittston, was surprised and thrilled to have the privilege bestowed on him.
“I was very honored when Jimmy McFarland called, and he announced I was the Grand Marshal. I was thrilled they asked,” Adonizio said. “I’m very happy to be a part of this. Pittston is my town, and I’ve lived here my whole life, and I love it.”
Sarah Donahue, a St. Patrick’s Parade committee member, said Adonizio was a deserving choice as the 13th grand marshal.
“We’re excited to honor P.J. Adonizio as our grand marshal this year,” Donahue stated. “He’s been a stand-up man in our community for many years. It’ll be nice to see P.J. at the bottom of William St. and not at the top.”
Adonizio, son of the late Peter V. and Eleanor Martin Adonizio, was born and raised in Pittston.
He graduated from Scranton Preparatory School, earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University, Fla., and received a diploma of funeral service from Simmons Institute of Mortuary Science, Syracuse, N.Y., in 1983, completing his internship and granted a Pennsylvania funeral directors license in 1984.
Adonizio worked for many years with the Adonizio family business, the former Addy Asphalt Co., until its closure in 1991.
He then worked for Luzerne County as a Probation Officer and was later appointed Deputy Coroner in 1993.
In 1997, Adonizio was appointed Deputy Court Administrator, and he earned his district magistrate certification.
In 2000, with the Supreme Court Order and the formation of the Unified Judicial Court System, he became a Deputy Court Administrator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Adonizio received a special commendation by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for his service to the judicial system as a member of the Judicial Council’s Committee on Judicial Security and Emergency Preparedness. He retired in 2013 after 20 years of service.
During that time, Adonizio also worked as a funeral director throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.
In 2001, he founded the Peter J. Adonizio Funeral Home on Susquehanna Ave., West Pittston, operating at that site until Sept. 2011 when Tropical Storm Lee hit Greater Pittston, flooding the facility. Adonizio Funeral Home relocated to the current location on William St., the former location of Carl F. Adonizio Funeral Home.
He is a member of the Luzerne Coounty and National Funeral Directors associations.
Adonizio is a member of both St. Joseph Marello Parish and St. John the Evangelist Parish, Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Knights of Columbus, JFK Council 372, Pittston, Moose Lodge #1207, Fox Hill Country Club, and a former a board member of the Luzerne County Bar Association Charitable Foundation and St. Michael’s School for Boys, Tunkhannock.
In 2015, the Italian American Association of Luzerne County honored Adonizio as its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and in 2024, the Greater Pittston YMCA honored Adonizio Funeral Home LLC as its Corporate Distinction Award winner.
Adonizio resides in Pittston Township with his wife, the former Alicia M. Ghilardi, of Peckville, who serves as the funeral home’s office manager.
The Adonizios have two sons, Peter J. Adonizio Jr., Esq. (Maria), and Joseph P. Adonizio (Marnie), both licensed funeral directors, and is a proud “Poppy” to a granddaughter, Alora Adonizio.
