Boris L. Poppoff

There are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed.

All these places had their memories, with lovers and friends, I still can recall.

Some are dead, some are living, in my lifetime, I loved them all.

Lennon & McCartney -1965

Boris Louis Poppoff, 78, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2024, at his home in Phineyville (Ringtown) with his family at his side.

 Boris was born August 17, 1945, at Women’s Hospital in New York City. He is the son of Louis Poppoff and Veronica Tarutis. His Parents met and married in New York City and established several restaurants and dance clubs in the Times Square and the Rego Park Queens areas of New York.

 After the untimely death of his father in 1952, the family relocated to his mother’s hometown of Shenandoah.

 Boris attended Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School in New York and graduated from Shenandoah High School in 1965 when he was immediately drafted into the Navy. He served in Vietnam for 2 years and trained with Special Forces. He returned to Shenandoah in 1967. For the next ten years, Boris worked at several jobs, most in the coal mining and construction industries.

 Boris will best be remembered for the successful tavern business he established in Mahanoy City (1976) and Shenandoah (1977) as American Saloons. Better known as “Boris’s”, many couples first met there and married. In 1990-91, he passed on management of the bar to the popular “RJ’s” run by Joe Sherako.

 After several changes in the management of the bar, the business was sold in 2022. Boris relocated from Shenandoah moving to Ringtown.

During his hiatus from business management, Boris worked as a certified welder for Dana Corp. in Reading and Alstom Power in Easton.

 Boris had a zest for life and his charm won him many friends over the years. He and his wife were able to travel extensively including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Jamaca, and most recently Cape Cod and New Orleans. He was fond of, and most often visited Miami, Key West, Hawaii and especially Las Vegas where he and his buddies would frequent the casinos shooting craps. Boris is known for his “hard 4” dice roll. Boris was an ardent skier and snow boarder back in the day traveling to Colorado and Vermont with the gang. He was a great fan of basketball following the NBA teams, especially the 76er’s, every season. He was also an accomplished marksman.

Boris was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Patricia Nitolo, nephews Samuel and Louis Nitolo all of Shenandoah.

 He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Marie, a step-son, Jack Cesareo in Philadelphia, a brother, Louis, a sister, Denise with her two sons, and the many nephews, great nieces, and great nephews of the Nitolo Family.

Boris’s wish is for all his friends, foes, and acquaintances to know that he enjoyed every minute with them and that each and every person who passed through his life made it a masterpiece. Thank you, everyone!

In lieu of flowers, Boris’s wish is for donations to be made in his memory to the veterans focused organization, Wounded Warriors Project, 875 Greentree Road, Seven Parkway Center, Suite 700, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15220

Friends may pay their respects at Oravitz Home for Funerals, 40 North Jardin Street, Shenandoah, Pa. 17976, on Monday, July 8th from 9-11 AM followed by a Memorial Service at 11 AM. Interment will be at Our Lady of Dawn Cemetery.

To offer condolences, please visit: www.oravitzhomeforfunerals.com

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