Papa Bear
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Bella Biondini
Team Luster
Although Gianni Petrini, 41, ran away as a child, landed in the foster care system and spent time in prison during his youth, he knew he wanted to be a good father and works every day to keep his promise.
“I wanted a better life than what I had and I’ve achieved that,” Petrini said, who has spent most of his life in Union, Missouri. “I want to give my children an even better life than what I have now.”
Petrini lives with his partner, Abby Murphy, and his two children Isabella, 8, and Gino, 3 — both of whom he shares custody with his ex-girlfriend. Petrini boasts an animated mustache and is referred to as “Pirate,” as he is missing part of his leg due to a motorcycle accident.
Five years after a car collided with him on the highway, Petrini got back onto a bike. Three motorcycles can be found side by side in the garage: his, Murphy’s and a miniature one for Isabella. He still enjoys brief pockets of solitude at home and at work, but he holds the community he created close.
His soft demeanor is the glue that bonds the household together and makes him one of the most sought after body piercers in Franklin County. Many of his customers at the Salty Siren are children who come into the tattoo shop to get their ears pierced.
Once a boy who felt lost, largely a result of his absent father and abusive grandmother, Petrini chose to rebuild his life. After he was released from prison early, he came to a decision point.
“I realized, ‘Whoa, this isn't what I want to do,'” Petrini said. “And then that was that. I had set my mind to it.”
“Pirate” Gianni Petrini, 41, picks out a new earring for Khaleesi Petersen, who hides behind her mother, Karen Quintanilla at Salty Siren Tattoo in Union. Petrini began working there after a motorcycle accident forced him to quit his job as a lineman. More than half of his customers are under the age of 18. To soothe any nerves that arise, he treats younger children with care and addresses teens with his bold humor.
Gianni Petrini wakes up his son, Gino, for school in their home in Union. Gino, almost 4, is his youngest child
Abby Murphy helps Gino put on a shirt and prepare for the upcoming school day. Although she has no children of her own, Murphy quickly stepped into the maternal role when she moved in with Gianni. “If it weren’t for Abby, there’s a lot of things we would have went without,” Abby said.
Gianni drives his daughter, Isabella, to the bus stop in their neighborhood. Some days she catches a ride to school with him on his motorcycle. “All the kids think she’s cool,” Gianni said.
Gianni clutches his son’s hand as prepares to drop Gino, who is 3 years old, off at daycare at Little Rascals Preschool in Washington, Mo
Isabella, 8, prepares to take off on a motorcycle trip around her neighborhood. Her father, Gianni, made sure she wore her helmet and put on shoes before she zipped out of the garage.
Gianni helps his son, Gino, slip on his socks before school.
Gianni visits prosthetist and orthotist Dylan Borrenpohl in Des Peres, Mo. Petrini got into a motorcycle accident in 2015. The lower portion of his left leg was amputated two years later.
Gianni smokes marijuana in his living room after both children have been dropped off at school. He avoided pain pills after the motorcycle accident and said smoking helps ease both the pain and his anxiety.
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