of Dayton midway through his 94 th year. The son of Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants, Wasil was born on
August 21, 1924, in Simpson, Pennsylvania. In Simpson he often read the scriptures at St. Basil’s Russian Orthodox Church, and at age 16 he was Valedictorian and class president of the Fell High School Class of 1941. Wasil joined the Army Air Corps and served as a navigator on the B24 Liberator in WWII. When the war ended, he obtained an electrical engineering degree at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, graduating in 1950. One week later he married a spirited Carpatho-Rusyn stenographer from nearby Cohoes , Mary Hanchowsky, at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Cohoes, New York. One year later twin boys arrived, the first two of six children. Wasil was recalled into the Air Force and duty called him to serve in Falls Church, Virginia; Dayton, Ohio; Rome, New York; and El Segundo, California. He was integrally involved as a design engineer and program manager in the early space programs including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Prime, the precursor to the Space Shuttle. He retired from the military in 1970 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He had a brief stint as a civic activist in San Pedro, California, when he successfully led a campaign to save a neighborhood street and elementary school from becoming a freeway exit. He continued serving his country as a civil servant in Rome, New York; Dayton Ohio and finally in Washington, D.C. He returned to Ohio after retiring from civil service. He thoroughly enjoyed volunteering for several years at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center refill pharmacy. Wasil was a member of St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church and a lifetime member of the VFW post 8312. He enjoyed going for scenic drives, traveling the world, gardening, doing crossword
puzzles, reading non-fiction (especially history and biography), going to the gym and most of all talking
proudly about his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Wasil never liked to miss a party --
he loved festive gatherings with good food, good drink, and lively music. On these occasions he would
often say with a smile on his face, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” Wasil was preceded in death by
his wife, Mary, and brothers Joseph, John and Stephen. He is survived by his sisters Marie Derkasch and
Ann (David) Butler; his loving and devoted children, William (Patricia), Walter, Robert (Pamela), Thomas,
Patricia (John), and Gail, as well as many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. A
funeral service will be held on May 19 at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Cohoes, NY. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Disabled American Veterans or the American Red Cross. Condolences for the family can be made at www.tobiasfuneralhome.com
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