Walter Sharko

Walter was born in Lviv, Ukraine in 1931, and emigrated to the US with his parents in 1949. He graduated from Ohio Northern University in 1954 with a B.S. in civil engineering, specializing in design and bridge-building.

He had a distinguished 39-year career with HNTB (architects, engineers and planners), working in various cities on multiple projects. In the Alexandria, VA office, he supervised three major sections of the Metro system. In 1973 he was special structural consultant during construction of a world-record steel bridge in Rio de Janeiro. He was Deputy Construction Manager and Chief Engineer on the awarding-winning cable-stayed Dame Point Bridge in Jacksonville, FL. In Charleston, SC he was structural design engineer and Project Manager on the 5.5 mile long Cooper River Bridge. In addition, he authored many technical papers and articles.

He was a life-long member of the Plast Ukrainian scouting organization, and was an avid sailor on FIFI, his Rainbow 24, winning many races in the Annapolis area and on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL. An expert skier, on a Washington Ski Club trip to Killington he met his future wife Marilyn Swann.

He dedicated the last 5 years to co-coordinating a book documenting the history of Ukrainian political emigration in the US and Canada, which resulted in publication in 2025 of Who Are We? (written in Ukrainian).

He was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Eugenia Sharko, brother Oleksandr and sister Maria Nynka. He leaves behind Marilyn, his wife of 47 years, sister Theresa Ben, and nieces, nephews and cousins as well as a large extended family in Ukraine.

The family suggests donations in his memory may be made to:

Plast-Burlaky, (c/o D. Buzzetta, 73 Harding St., Blauvelt,NY 10913)

Parkinson’s Foundation, (1350 Broadway, Ste. 1530, New York, NY 10018)