John Tautin

John Tautin Sr., 90, of 20041 State Highway 98, Conneautville, PA died Saturday, September 1, 2012 following a stroke suffered the previous week, not long after a joyous celebration of his 90th birthday. He was born August 12, 1922 on the Conneautville area farm where he would spend most of his life. He was the son of Charles Tautin and Mary Buletza Tautin, Rusyn immigrants who came from Kalnyk, Ukraine to America in 1911. John attended Sandbank School and was a 1940 graduate of Meadville High School. He served in the US Navy, and was stationed state-side during World War II. On December 22, 1945, he married Palla Jean Tarr of Linesville. John worked in various capacities at Talon, Westinghouse, Sunbeam and Heatrex at Meadville, PA before becoming a full-time dairy farmer in 1964. For nearly thirty years he and Palla operated Very Long Lane dairy farm, winning numerous perennial awards for forage and milk production. In 2008 they were inducted into the Crawford County Agricultural Hall of Fame. During the 1950s and 1960s John served on what is now the PennCrest school board. He also served for decades on the council of St. Philip Roman Catholic Church at Crossingville, PA. In addition to family, friends and farming, John loved baseball and polka dancing. He and Palla were regulars at polka dances and festivals in western PA and eastern OH. He was especially proud of his Rusyn heritage and often spoke the language of his parents and their homeland that he visited in 1993. John is survived by Palla, his beloved wife of 66 years; sons Mark Tautin of Meadville, and John Tautin, Jr. and wife Joan of Conneautville; daughters Mary Tautin of Charlotte, NC, and Susan Cianella and husand John of Erie, PA; grandchildren Julie Cianella of Grand Prairie, TX and Jason Cianella of Pittsburgh, PA; many nieces and nephews and their families in the US and Ukraine; and countless friends. John was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles Tautin and Michael Tautin of Meadville; and three sisters Anna Smochko of Kalnyk, Ukraine, Anna Maruska of Conneautville, and Mary Halko of Springboro, PA. Friends may visit the family at Roofner-Collins-Warren Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., 544 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA on Tuesday, September 4, between 2:00-4:00 PM and 7:00-9:00 PM, and all are welcome to attend the Mass of Christian Burial, Wednesday, September 5, 10:00 AM at St. Philip Church, Crossingville, PA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Farmland Trust, a national organization dedicated to preserving family farms (1200 18th St. NW, Ste 800, Washington, D.C. 20036 https://www.farmland.org/) or Emmaus Soup Kitchen, an area charity that shares the bounty of American farms with those in need (218 E. 11th Street, Erie PA 16503 https://www.emmauserie.org/) Please take a moment to share a memory or condolence with the family on John’s Book of Memories online at www.roofnercollinswarrenfh.com