Michael Paul Sveda

Thousand Oaks, CA

Michael Paul Sveda, a physicist, pilot, inventor of the Modular Electronic Timer, real estate salesperson, and distance runner, unexpectedly passed away peacefully in his sleep Friday evening, November 16, from natural causes. He ran 7 seven miles the day before, the distance he always ran 3 times a week, and was 74. With a smile, he would switch those numbers around and tell you that he was 47 and forever young.

He was born June 24, 1944, on a dairy farm in Tidioute, Pennsylvania and was the youngest son of the children of Czechoslovakian immigrants, George Sveda of Tip Top, Pennsylvania and Julia Toriskie Sveda of Cleveland, Ohio. He woke up every morning at 5am to milk the cows before walking to school.

After graduating from high school, he left the farm to serve as a sergeant in the United States Airforce during the Vietnam War, earning high academic honors, excellent marksmanship, the United States National Defense Medal, and the Airforce Good Conduct Medal. Recognized for his academic excellence, he was honorably discharged to attend school and pursue his goal of earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics from California State, Northridge. He was also a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national Physics Honors Society. Noted for his innate understanding of mechanical systems, he supported aircraft companies, power stations, and nuclear power plants in his career of the curious mind.

Adventurous in spirit, he earned his private pilot's license, loving the thrill of taking off and flying the skies. He married his wife, Vicki Jean Reynolds Sveda, an educator, coach, Title 9 advocate, and creator of some of the first after-school sports programs for girls. When together, they enjoyed flying to new places and seeking out new adventures on the weekends. She passed away 18 years prior, and throughout her 5-year battle with breast cancer, she never lost her courage, and he never left her side.

After he got married, he continued in his intellectual pursuits and was granted patents from the United States, Canada, and Japan for his invention of the Modular Electronic Timer. He went into real estate, enjoying its complexities and earning his real estate license. And out of curiosity and for a challenge, he independently rebuilt the engine of his 1969 Camaro SS which he would later sell to a high school student with a passion for fine automobiles like himself.

And throughout it all, he loved running and living a healthy lifestyle, building himself up to the marathon level, and running throughout hills and streets, at least, several miles, 3 times a week. Knowing him, he is saying to all of us that we can do whatever we put our minds to - and to get on with it and never look back.

He is survived by his daughter, Angela Sveda of Foster City, Ca - a computer science educator, English educator, and former Peace Corps Volunteer; two sisters, Marie E. Robertson of Tidioute, Pa, and Pauline Wachter of Alpine, Ca, and the late Julia A. Hunter and George A. Sveda.

Church services are being held at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village followed by a funeral service with military honors at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks in Westlake Village. Per his wishes, he will be interred in the Garden of Valor for veterans alongside his wife. And if you look up to the sky, you will see them flying together once again, searching out their next, great adventure - always moving forward and always looking ahead.