More detail on this person: Kovalak, Robert James Mr. Kovalak was a 1967 graduate of Punxsutawney High School, attended Weaver Airline School and went to work for Ozark Airline in Chicago, Ill. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 1968 and served with the 101st Airborne, Company B, 17th Assault Helicopter Corps at Camp Eagle, near Hue, Vietnam, in 1970 as an UH-1H helicopter pilot. He received among other decorations the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star, the National De-fense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam campaign ribbon with device. He had been a member of the 101st Airborne Association, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association and the Kingsmen Group of the 101st Airborne. He was a 1973 graduate of Penn State Dubois with an associate degree in me-chanical engineering. He worked for FMC, Homer City for over 31 years. He had been a supervising engineering project manager for the FMC Food Tech Group of Newberg, Ore. Mr. Kovalak was active in the Homer City Athletic Boosters. He had coached tee-ball, been an assistant coach for little league and coached senior little league. He was very proud of his senior little league team when they won the District 6 championship in 1997. He served on the field committee for Junior Legion and for regional and state play-offs, and had been an assistant coach with the TJS Mining Team for the Indiana Area Baseball Boosters. He has been an assistant leader for Cub Scouts and had served as Pack 24 Chairman in Homer City and a sponsor for his daughter's Girl Sout Troop for 10 years. He was a member of the Homer City Historical Society and the Homer-Center Band Boosters. He enjoyed woodcarving, donating a life-size rattlesnake for auction to support the Ruffed Grouse Society of Ligonier and a large wall clock for the 101st Airborne Division Association. He was an avid archery hunter and enjoyed fishing. Surviving are his wife of 26 years, Marcia Littleton-Currie Kovalak; his daughter, Janie M. Lagoda and her husband Tony, of Blairsville; his son, John T. of Gibsonia; his sister, Patricia MacGregor of Annandale, Va.; his brother, John J. of Martinsburg, W.Va.; Also a niece, a nephew and a granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters, Rose Marie Stott and Marguerite Shell. Arrangements were in charge of Bowser Funeral Home, Inc. in Homer City. Memorial donations may be made to local baseball organizations, local veteran's organizations, the ACMH Cancer Center at One Nolte Drive, Kittaning, Pa. 16201, or the Palliative Care Unit at IRMC 835 Hospital Road, Indiana, Pa. 15701.
Burial information: North Point Cemetery, North Point, PA
This information was last updated 02/08/2019
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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