Obituary of Peter Dejana

Peter Dejana was born in Pattada, Sardinia, Italy on March 23, 1940. He was the first of five children born to John and Antonina Dejana. Peter emigrated to America with his father at age 16, not speaking a word of English. He attended and graduated from Schreiber High School, all the while working as many hours as he could to help support his family. Father and son first lived with relatives in Port Washington and, through hard work and thrifty ways, were able to bring the rest of their family to America. They set down roots in sand miner’s housing on West Shore Road.

Peter started out in the landscaping field, a typical entry-point into the American dream for numerous Italian immigrants. Beginning on Shore Road with a single truck and one Jeep with a plow, over a half-century, he built the successful, multi-faceted contracting business that became known as Dejana Industries.

At its height, the Dejana family of companies was the largest municipal services contractor in North America, employing over 600 people, with offices in Port Washington, New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Newark, NJ.

At the time of his passing, Peter was President and CEO of Dejana Holdings, LLC, a real estate investment firm, and President and CEO of the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation, a Port Washington-based philanthropy he established in 2010.

Peter was defined by his brilliant and incisive mind (never having attended college), his unmatched work ethic and energy, and his extraordinary self-discipline.

Peter was a friend to all who offered their friendship. He interacted easily with people from all walks and stations of life. He found great satisfaction in getting to know people and learning about their lives and life stories. He was modest, wise, humble, and unassuming in all his dealings with people.

Peter often called himself a “car guy”. He raced cars of all types from his youth until well into adulthood, always with a passion for speed and performance. He was endlessly fascinated by how cars, motorcycles, trucks, and machines worked and were put together. He enjoyed nothing more than designing, fabricating, fixing, repairing, and generally tinkering with machinery of all kinds – an abiding interest that served him well in business and added greatly to the success of Dejana Industries. He truly had the mind of a brilliant engineer, which he most certainly would have become had he not chosen the path of building a successful business.

Peter loved Port Washington. He came here from Italy, stayed, and remained part of the community for almost 70 years. His far-flung business enterprises were based here. Both personally and through his Foundation, he was proud to support numerous local organizations, charities, and events. He found his life partner here, as well as his most trusted friends. Throughout his amazing and successful journey, Port Washington was his home base, his anchor, and his reference point in life.

Peter is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Geraldine (“Jeri”) Dejana and his adored son, Tyler Schweber Dejana. He is also survived by his sisters, Giovanna (“Giannina”) Bruce and Antoinette Lewis, and his brother Vincent Dejana. Peter was a caring and attentive uncle to numerous nieces and nephews, and was devoted to many other much-cherished family members and friends.

Peter was predeceased by his much-loved son, Dean, and his adored brother, Philip.

Peter’s love for and dedication to family, friends, hard work, and charitable endeavors have set an example for the countless people whose lives he touched. He will be well remembered and much missed.

Visitation:

 Sunday 05/05/2024 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Funeral Mass:

Monday 05/06/2024 11:00am

St Peter of Alcantara Church

1327 Port Washington Blvd.

Port Washington, NY 11050

516-883-6675

Mausoleum Entombment:

Monday 05/06/2024 12:15pm

Nassau Knolls Cemetery

500 Port Washington Blvd.

Port Washington, NY 11050

516-944-8530