With Uncle Cyril, for those he loved, boundaries didn’t seem to exist. To him, while sharing pieces of himself with genuine compassion, borders were invisible. He wasn't concerned with where people were from, where their faiths lay, or the color of their skin. Age was never an issue. And language barriers were nothing more than a minor obstacle that he joyfully worked around.
  
While it was at times tricky for him to grasp the lives of younger generations, he did so with unparalleled love and understanding. 

Certainly, there were moments where he clashed with others, which to me always elicited a hearty laugh, but unlike most, even after a venting session, he embraced them even more than before. 

He may not have expressed his changes of heart out loud but instead he showcased them through meaningful actions like no one I had ever seen. 

Uncle Cyril was the epitome of empathy.
The personification of generosity.
The humblest of men. 

His actions, often out in the open, were also behind closed doors, for anything God gave him the right to earn, Uncle Cyril made sure that others would benefit from them too. 

More than even for himself.

When I was a child I was scared of Uncle Cyril. He was a loud and large military man set in his ways.  And if we so as much moved one of his decorative pieces over a few inches we, and my mother, were sure to hear about it... and I was sure to hide behind her when we did. 

But with time, I grew to understand that with this large and loud man came a large and full heart.

In my late teens and early twenties, I watched as he cared deeply for many of my cousins. He enjoyed housing them,  feeding them,  loving them. 

And if any one of them found themselves in a sticky situation, he was the first man to help get them out.

And in my late twenties he did just that for me too.

In 2002, when the fate of Jason, my husband, was unforseen, Uncle Cyril met our hardships, hospitalizations, and heartaches with support, encouragement, generos

CYRIL, MY BIG BROTHER

FIRST OFF I START THIS  ABOUT A  BROTHER  WHO  ONLY LIVED BY  FOLLOWING  A VERY HIGH MORAL  COMPASS  THROUGHOUT  HIS LIFE. AND AN EXAMPLE  OF DOING  RIGHT AND TREATING  OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND GRADUTUDE.

GROWING  UP CLOSE ON THE FARM, DOING THE FUN THINGS TOGETHER, AND GETTING  INTO TROUBLE TOGETHER  ARE THE NORMAL KID THINGS.

THE FIGHTS, THE  FORGIVENESS OF WHO  GOT BLAMED ... ETC ARE  MINOR  IN THIS.    

CYRIL'S  HONESTY,  GENEROSITY  ,  FORGIVENESS   AND SEEING THE GOOD IN ALL PEOPLE WITHOUT PREDJUDICE WAS STRONG IN HIS MAKEUP.  AFTER HIS RETIREMENT  FROM THE AIRFORCE  HE SPENT  MOST OF THE YEARS, RIGHT DOWN TO HIS PASSING,   GIVING  TO THE YOUTH  WITH FINANCIAL AND  PHYSICAL  AND EMOTIONAL  SUPPORT OF THOSE  IN TROUBLE,   AND  IN DIRE  NEED.

THIS  SUPPORT OF GIVING  NEVER CHANGED. HE WAS A GREAT SUPPORT TO  JASON,  MARYAM AND KIDS  EVEN NOW. FROM THE PAST YOUTH HE  CONTINUED TO SUPPORT ANOTHER GENERATION OF  KIDS WITH LESSONS  OF LIFE, PHYSICAL SUPPORT,  AND THE GIFT THAT WE ALL KNOW NEVER  STOPPED  COMING.

THE GIFT OF TEACHING THAT  " THERE IS NO PLACE FOR  PREDJUDICE  OR  RESENTMENT  IN A LIFE WELL LIVED. NEVER LOSING  THE WAY OF A HIGH MORAL COMPASS. HE FOLLOWED HIS FAITH AND ITS TEACHINGS.IF THIS OFFENDED OTHERS. GOD WILLING, THEY  REALLY  KNOW AND SEE WHY HE  MADE CERTAIN  DESICIONS  AND   VOICED THE SAME. NO MATTER WHO WE ARE,  WHERE WE COME  FROM AND ALL OUR OWN  PATHS WE FOLLOW THERE WILL BE A PART OF CYRIL  IN OUR LIVES. FOR WE ALL HAVE THAT  CHOSEN COMPASS  AND DECISIONS AND FAITHS  THAT  WE  FOLLOW AND  THERE WILL BE A  PART OF CYRIL, " DEAR  BIG  BROTHER "  IN OUR LIVES........  " ASSALAMU ALAYKUM (PEACE AND BLESSINGS   BE UPON  YOU ALL ).... BABY SISTER....THERESA

One of the hallmarks of noble character is selfless service.  Not tainted by nepotism, personal bias, or egocentric motivations, the adage is true: proof is indeed in the pudding.  Uncle Cyril was a man who gave of himself without asking in return.  Embedded in his nature was his desire to manifest the true American ethos of helping others regardless of race, religion, or nationality.  An increasingly rare thing these days.  But then again, Uncle Cyril was that rarest of men.  He will be missed...but his legacy remains.

Cyril was more than just a man; he was a mentor, storyteller, father, grandfather, and a beacon of warmth in our lives.

I will forever cherish the cooking classes he gave me, where his patience and passion transformed simple ingredients into heartfelt meals. His gardening tips were not just advice but lessons in nurturing life, patience, and resilience. And oh, the stories he shared from his younger days! They painted vivid pictures of adventure, wisdom, and the spirited man he always was.

The absence of Cyril leaves an unfillable void, but his influence remains etched in our hearts. We miss him so much, yet we are endlessly grateful for everything he gave us—his love, wisdom, laughter, and the countless memories that will continue to inspire and comfort us.

Cyril, you are a truly special person to us and our family  are so blessed to have you as a father, friend, uncle, and Zion’s grandfather. Cyril, we miss you dearly. 


Zion says, “We’re a family of four, and we’ll always be a family of four because you’ll always be in our hearts.” 


Thank you, Cyril, and I’m so thankfully to God    For you .

**REMEMBERING CYRIL M. SLOVAK (1940–2025)**

I wish to say that of all the Slovaks, Cyril was the closest to me. I am a Muslim, but his genuine caring, tolerance, knowledge and freedom from any biases and hangups made it a natural inclination for me to feel comfortable in being close to him. We both were sincere in our Faiths and respected each other for it. This made us able to communicate freely and pleasantly on any and every issue or topic. Our Holy Scripture, *Al-Qor-aan*, says specifically about the Christians:

> “They are not all the same; among them are also those who stand in obedience to God Almighty reciting His verses during periods of the night and prostrating before Him in prayer. They believe in God Almighty and the Day of Judgment, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to do good deeds.” (3:113–114)

I considered Cyril one among those, which made pleasant our conversations even about the esoteric aspects of our respective Faiths. Sometimes, he would say to me: “Jesus is the son of God” to which I would say: “God was not begotten and does not beget! So Jesus is a *mighty* Messenger of God.” Neither one of us turned unpleasant toward the other. In the end, we *knew* that we both loved Jesus greatly in our hearts and our minds.

Caring of Cyril did not end even when I was not there. For instance, he knew that I *loved* mangoes. In every season he would ship me a box of individually and carefully wrapped mangoes from his own mango tree. Those mangoes were always very sweet and delicious. I think I am going to see Cyril written on every mango I eat in the rest of my years. *I want you to know that I share equally the loss and sadness you all feel for Cyril leaving us. He was a true friend, a kind brother, a gift from the Creator. I will miss Cyril!*  – **Khalid Awan, M.D.**
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Uncle Cyril was a generous and selfless human being who went out of his way to bring comfort and ease to anyone he saw had a need.   He went above and beyond in his hospitality.  Unlike many today,  he cherished people of different backgrounds and beliefs,  and was always willing to extend a helping hand to anyone who needed it, particularly the youth that were struggling.  He had no children of his own, yet many loved him as a father.    We will all sorely miss him.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Cyril Methodius Slovak

15 décembre 1940 – 21 juillet 2025

Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home & Flagler Memorial Gardens

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