William Edward Serchak

COL William E. Serchak, United States Army (Retired), born May 27, 1934, in Bristol, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully at his home in Derwood, Maryland, on January 8, 2026. His life was defined by service, intellect, curiosity, and a profound devotion to family, faith, and country. A man of quiet strength and unwavering principle, he lived with purpose—guided by duty, enriched by learning, and sustained by deep and enduring love.

Bill spent his early childhood in Bristol before his family moved to Croydon. He attended both Catholic and public schools and graduated from Bristol High School in 1952. A scholarship took him to Michigan Technological University in Houghton, where he studied metallurgy for two years. His path changed when he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1958 and commissioned into the field artillery, beginning a distinguished 30-year Army career.

He was the son of William Andrew and Nellie (Gusera) Serchak, whose values of hard work, loyalty, and resilience shaped the leader he would become. He was predeceased by his parents and by his sisters Marion (Vincent Sr.) Hesler, Josephine (William) Miller, and Frances (Peter) Thomas, as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins from both the Serchak and Gusera families.

In 1961, Bill married the love of his life, Edna Mae (Nee Rice), beginning a partnership marked by devotion, laughter, and shared purpose. Their marriage was a testament to mutual respect and enduring affection, and her memory remained a source of strength for him throughout his later years.

From an early age, Bill was captivated by the night sky. As a cadet, he founded the USMA Astronomy Club in 1956, sparking a tradition of scientific curiosity that continues to this day. With the support of his close friend, 1958 classmate, and roommate COL Hugh H. Trumbull, US Army (Ret.), he later worked with the USMA Physics and Nuclear Engineering Department to endow the W.E. Serchak Astronomy Award. In 2023, he proudly presented the inaugural award in the presence of his West Point classmates during their 65th reunion—a moment that honored his lifelong passion for astronomy and his tremendous connection to the Long Gray Line—and now part of his enduring legacy.

Bill earned his MS in Physics from Tulane University and went on to serve in field artillery assignments in Germany, Korea, and Vietnam. His career later took him into diplomatic service as a military attaché in Sweden and Switzerland, where he represented the United States with professionalism, insight, and integrity. His culminating assignment was a three-year tour as Deputy Inspector General for the Defense Intelligence Agency, a role that took him to 45 countries across six continents. He carried out inspections with the thoroughness, fairness, and humility that defined his entire career.

A lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, Bill was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. His summers at Camp Ockanickon in Pennsylvania shaped his love of the outdoors and leadership, and he went on to guide Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops from Oklahoma to Maryland throughout his Army career and into retirement. His influence on generations of young scouts, including all three of his children who were active in scouting, remains one of his quiet but enduring contributions.

Bill’s fascination with genealogy became a passion that carried him to conferences across the country and ultimately across the ocean. His research led him to discover cousins in Czarna Góra and Nowa Biala, Poland—connections he cherished deeply. He visited them five times, strengthening bonds that spanned continents and generations, and took great pride in uncovering the stories of the Jezierczak and Kolodziej branches of his family.

Travel was a shared joy for Bill and Edna Mae. Together they journeyed with the USMA Association of Graduates, with tour groups, and on their own, visiting friends and places shaped by Bill’s Army career. Their adventures took them throughout Europe and Africa, and for his 80th birthday, his children gifted him a return trip to Korea—a place that had marked an important chapter of his service. After Edna Mae’s passing, Bill continued to travel with his daughter Bridget, visiting family and exploring North America, Europe, and the Caribbean as recently as last year.

Faith was a constant throughout his life. Bill and Edna Mae were active in the Catholic Church from his early days as an altar boy at St. Thomas Aquinas in Croydon to their later years co-leading Life in the Spirit programs in Montgomery County, Maryland. Their shared spirituality was a cornerstone of their marriage and a source of strength for their family.

Bill is survived by his three children—Bridget Ann; Mary Ellen Ynes and her husband Robin; and William Joseph Rice Serchak and his wife Laurie—who were the pride of his life. He was a devoted grandfather to Aliya and Andrew Ynes, whose growth and accomplishments brought him immense joy. He also leaves behind nephews and nieces he cherished as an uncle—Jose Reyes, Kirk Woodington, Vincent Jr., Carl Hesler, and Eric Hesler—and cousins Rosemary Lynn Latta, Gloria Gusera, and David Serchak, along with the many second- and third-generation Jezierczak and Kolodziej cousins he met in Poland.

COL Serchak’s life was defined not only by the breadth of his service but by the depth of his character. He led with humility, listened with intention, and cared with sincerity. His legacy endures in the soldiers he guided, the scouts he mentored, the family he cherished, and the countless lives shaped by his example of honor, intellect, and compassion.

He will be profoundly missed, faithfully remembered, and forever honored.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to The Code of Support Foundation or Fisher House (see links below)