An Act designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8430, carrying Pennsylvania Route 160 over the North Branch Little Conemaugh River in the borough of Wilmore, Cambria County, as the Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge.

PRINTER'S NO. 929
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 836
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY LANGERHOLC, JUNE 9, 2025
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, JUNE 9, 2025
AN ACT
Designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8430, carrying
Pennsylvania Route 160 over the North Branch Little Conemaugh
River in the borough of Wilmore, Cambria County, as the
Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) Stephen Potchak, John Potchak, Michael Potchak,
Frank Potchak, Charles Potchak and Peter Potchak were
brothers.
(2) Stephen Potchak was born February 18, 1914, in
Wilmore, Cambria County, and attended Wilmore High School.
(3) He was drafted into the United States Army on
February 5, 1942, and served during World War II.
(4) Stephen Potchak served as a Medical Administrative
Specialist in the Army Air Corps and received the following
awards and recognitions: American Campaign Medal, Good
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Conduct Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
(5) He was honorably discharged from the United States
Army with the rank of Staff Sergeant on December 1, 1946, at
Andrews Field in Washington, DC.
(6) After the war, Stephen Potchak was employed for a
time at Saint Francis University before working as a coal
miner in Wilmore. Later in life, Stephen moved to
Philadelphia, where he worked as a laborer for the Budd
Company before working as a locomotive operator for more than
30 years at US Steel, from which he retired.
(7) Stephen Potchak passed away on March 28, 1994, and
is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem, Bucks County.
(8) John Potchak was born September 18, 1918, in Wilmore
and attended Wilmore High School.
(9) He enlisted in the United States Navy on June 19,
1939, and served during World War II.
(10) John Potchak was assigned to the following vessels
and stations: Naval Training Station Newport, Rhode Island;
USS Helena; USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) and USS Cabot.
(11) He was assigned to the USS Helena during the attack
on Pearl Harbor, but was not on board during the attack.
(12) John Potchak received the following awards and
recognitions: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with nine stars;
American Campaign Medal; American Defense Service Medal with
one star; Philippine Liberation Medal with one star; Good
Conduct Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Navy Unit
Commendation Ribbon Bar; and Philippine Presidential Unit
Citation.
(13) He was honorably discharged from the United States
Navy with the rank of Chief Electrician's Mate on November
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28, 1945, at the United States Naval Personnel Separation
Center in Sampson, New York.
(14) After the war, John Potchak worked as an engineer
at the Johnsville Naval Air Development Center in Warminster,
Bucks County, was a lifetime member of the Warminster
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6493 in Warminster and was a
dedicated member of his church, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
Catholic Church, in Jamison, Bucks County. He enjoyed hunting
and fishing in his free time.
(15) John Potchak passed away on May 12, 2010, and is
buried at Saint John Neumann Cemetery in Chalfont, Bucks
County.
(16) Michael Potchak was born October 15, 1920, in
Wilmore and attended Wilmore High School.
(17) He enlisted in the United States Navy on December
15, 1942, and served during World War II.
(18) Michael Potchak was assigned to the following
vessels and stations: USS Bataan and U.S. Naval Training
Center Bainbridge, Maryland.
(19) He received the following awards and recognitions:
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with five stars; American
Campaign Medal; Good Conduct Medal; World War II Victory
Medal; Philippines Liberation Medal; and Imperium Neptuni
Regis.
(20) Michael Potchak was honorably discharged from the
United States Navy with the rank of Electrician's Mate First
Class on March 5, 1946, at the U.S. Naval Personnel
Separation Center in Bainbridge, Maryland.
(21) After the war, he worked for and retired from US
Steel in Johnstown, Cambria County, where he was an
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electrical foreman.
(22) Michael Potchak passed away on February 2, 2009,
and is buried at the Richland Mausoleum in Johnstown.
(23) Frank Potchak was born November 13, 1922, in
Wilmore and attended Wilmore High School.
(24) He enlisted in the United States Navy on February
23, 1943, and served during World War II.
(25) Frank Potchak was assigned to the following vessels
and stations: USS Kalinin Bay; U.S. Naval Training and
Distribution Center Shoemaker, California; S.S. Jacob
Luckenbach; S.S. Janet Lord Roper; U.S. Navy Armed Guard
Center Brooklyn, New York; U.S. Navy Armed Guard Center
Little Creek, Virginia; and U.S. Naval Training Station
Sampson, New York.
(26) He received the following awards and recognitions:
American Campaign Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern
Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II
Victory Medal; and Good Conduct Medal.
(27) Frank Potchak was honorably discharged from the
United States Navy with the rank of Seaman First Class on
February 17, 1946, at the U.S. Naval Personnel Separation
Center in Sampson, New York.
(28) After the war, he married his wife, Evelyn and
later, they and their children moved to Bucks County, where
he worked at U-Haul for 28 years.
(29) Frank Potchak passed away on November 5, 2000, and
is buried at Saint John Neumann Cemetery in Chalfont.
(30) Charles Potchak was born December 26, 1924, in
Wilmore and attended Wilmore High School.
(31) He enlisted in the United States Army on July 12,
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1943, and served during World War II.
(32) Charles Potchak was assigned to Battery C, 55th
Field Artillery Battalion and fought in the New Guinea
Campaign and the Battle of Luzon.
(33) He received the following awards and recognitions:
Good Conduct Medal; Philippines Liberation Medal with one
Bronze Star; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars; and World War II
Victory Medal.
(34) Charles Potchak was honorably discharged from the
United States Army with the rank of Corporal on February 9,
1946, at the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Lebanon
County.
(35) After the war, he worked in a mine in Beaverdale,
Cambria County, and was later employed at US Steel in
Johnstown. He married the former Dorothy Mitchell and they
raised four children in the Beaverdale-Sidman area of Cambria
County.
(36) Charles Potchak passed away on February 20, 2012,
and is buried at St. Michael Cemetery in St. Michael, Cambria
County.
(37) Peter Potchak was born July 1, 1926, in Wilmore and
attended Wilmore High School.
(38) He was drafted into the United States Army on
November 15, 1944, and served during World War II.
(39) Peter Potchak was assigned to Headquarters Company,
86th Chemical Mortar Battalion and fought in the Rhineland
Campaign.
(40) He received the following awards and recognitions:
Distinguished Unit Badge with Oak Leaf Cluster; Good Conduct
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Medal; World War II Victory Medal; and European-African-
Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star.
(41) Peter Potchak was honorably discharged from the
United States Army with the rank of Technician Fifth Grade on
December 29, 1945, at the Separation Center in Fort Knox,
Kentucky.
(42) After the war, he returned home to Wilmore, took
care of his father until his father's death, worked for and
retired from US Steel in Johnstown and was last employed as
an electrical stores keeper. He was a member of American
Legion Post 430, a charter member of the Wilmore Volunteer
Fire Company and a member of the former GBU: Summer Hill, now
a district of the GBU Foundation.
(43) Peter Potchak passed away on May 9, 1998, and is
buried at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Portage, Cambria
County.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8430,
carrying Pennsylvania Route 160 over the North Branch Little
Conemaugh River in the borough of Wilmore, Cambria County, is
designated the Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
traffic in both directions on the bridge.
Section 2. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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