December 30 2019: FEDACK, John Wesley

JOHN WESLEY FEDACK (age 92)

Son, brother, uncle, husband, father, godfather, grandfather (Dido), great-grandfather, veteran and friend. After several years of suffering from illness, passed away peacefully in his sleep in Maryland on Saturday, December 21, 2019. Survived by his beloved wife Ruth; son John (Kathleen); son Paul; 5 grandchildren: grandsons Todd (Joy), Kirk, Nickolas (Débora) and Brett, and granddaughter Lauren (Stephen); 9 great-grandchildren: great-grandsons Kristian, Kaleb, Kellan, Logan, Alexander, Andrew, and Viktor, and great-granddaughters Quinn and Arielle; sister in-laws Margaret and Casimira, and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by loving daughter Cathleen; sisters Eva, Mary, Ann and Esther; brothers Wesley, Harry, Theodore, Walter and Michael; nieces Michelle and Deborah; and nephew Mathew.

He was born in 1927, in a small coal mining town in northeast Pennsylvania, the ninth of 10 children, to Michael and Paulina. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944 at the age of 17, serving in World War II. As a member of the Amphibious Forces, served aboard a Landing Ship Medium-Rocket (LSM-R) and was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946. He attended Penn State University, then married the love of his life, Ruth in 1952. They were married 67 years, residing in Maryland for more than the last 60. He spent the majority of his professional life working as an engineer for EG&G, a DOD contractor, retiring in 1992.

He was a long time member of the Knights of Columbus, the Order of Alhambra, and the American Legion. He was active in his church, the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family, and was an usher for more than 50 years. There, for several decades, he also worked in the kitchen preparing food for church dinners and on bingo nights. He enjoyed a good laugh and if he playfully teased you, he really liked you, just ask his family. He loved bowling with his family, especially teaming with his daughter Cathy in many bowling leagues. Working in his vegetable garden, hiking in the mountains, especially near waterfalls, gave him great joy. Playing with his grandchildren and watching them grow into adulthood, as well as playing with his great-grandchildren, gave him a tremendous amount of pride and an even greater joy. But most of all, he loved his wife, family and friends, and would do and did anything he could for them, without debate or hesitation.

Relatives and friends may call at The Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family, 4250 Harewood Rd. NE, Washington, D. C.  20017, on Friday, January 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., where Funeral of Divine Liturgy will immediately follow. Interment at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery Crownsville, 1122 Sunrise Beach Road, Crownsville, MD  21032, at 2:30 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family; Alzheimer’s Association; Disabled Veterans of America; or the USO.