John Fedkiw

John Fedkiw passed away peacefully on March 2, 2020 at the age of 99. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 46 years, Helen (Lutz). He was brother of the late Roman Fedkiw and survived by his sister, Anne Marko and brother, Ronald Fedkiw. He is survived by his three daughters: Frances Manderscheid and son-in-law, Ron, Marge Evriviades and son-in-law, Andreas and Judith Popadiuk and son-in-law, Roman. He also leaves 11 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. John was born on July 18, 1920 in Buffalo, New York the eldest son of Eva and Dmytro Fedkiw. His parents were both Ukrainian immigrants and throughout his life, John was proud of his heritage and a devout member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In 1942 he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, NY. From 1943 to 1946 he served as an LTJG with the U.S. Navy. Stationed in the Pacific theater, he specialized in photo interpretation and forestry mapping. For his service, he received the WW II Victory Ribbon, and honors for his participation in American Area and Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns. In 1948, he was awarded a Masters in Forestry and Public Administration jointly by SUNY and the Maxwell School of Citizenship of Syracuse University. He received his PhD from Cornell University in Agricultural Economics in 1953. He then joined the faculty of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. In 1959 John began his distinguished 41-year career with the US Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture. He served initially as a research economist with the Forest Service in Portland, Oregon. In later years he was primarily a policy analyst and advisor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of his research focused on timber supply and forest management. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 1979. He received the President's Meritorious Executive Rank Award (1987) and the Department of Agriculture's Distinguished Service Award (1988). He published over 60 professional papers. He was recognized for his research on sustainability. After his retirement in 1993, John volunteered with the Forest Service in the Office of Public Affairs, and published books with the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and the Forest History Society. John has been a member of the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family for 60 years. He has also been a long time member of the Knights of Columbus and a St. Josaphat’s Council lecturer. Throughout his life, John was awed and inspired by the beauty and majesty of nature and our country. May his memory be eternal. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family, 4250 Harewood Rd. NE Washington, DC 20017.