Mike Petershack

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Michael Petershack, a retired Hardyston Police Department detective, coach, and devoted father and husband, died on Thursday, Aug. 7. He was 47. Sources tell Daily Voice that Petershack's death was unexpected.

Mike was raised in Oak Ridge and graduated from Morris County Community College, according to his obituary on the Goble Funeral Home website. Before joining the police force, he owned and operated a hardwood flooring company and worked for the Jefferson Township Department of Public Works.

He married his wife Sharon in 2013 and the couple was blessed with two children, Ella and Wesley, his obituary says. In 2018, the family moved to Sparta, where Mike became an active part of the community, serving as both a softball and hockey coach, his obituary continues.

A perfectionist on and off the field, Mike was known for his dedication to his teams, according to a GoFundMe for the family. Mike even led Ella's 10U Sparta Diamondbacks Team to a softball championship.

The GoFundMe campaign, created by the Sparta Youth Softball Board, had raised $17,000 as of press time. It described Mike as “beloved father and husband, coach, retired hero police officer, friend, and avid outdoorsman.”

“He once raked the entire field himself because he couldn’t wait for the town to use the tractor—nothing ever stood in the way of what he believed needed to be done,” the fundraiser says. “He was known for his passionate opinions on the things he loved (and disliked—particularly Ryobi tools). His sense of dry humor and strong convictions will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Visitation will be held Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Goble Funeral Home in Sparta. A funeral service will be held Thursday, Aug. 14, at 10:30 a.m. at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Hamburg, with interment to follow at Holland Cemetery in Jefferson.

Click here to view the GoFundMe for the Petershack family and here for Mike's complete obituary.