Obituary of John D. Zawada

John D. Zawada Utica John D. Zawada, a longtime Utica resident, passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, with his loving family by his side. He was born in Utica on January 28, 1926, the son of the late Anthony and Jadwiga Glab Zawada. After graduating from UFA, John continued his education throughout his life, both formally and informally. Following his service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS General W.A. Mann, John attended Chicago Technical College, earning his BS in Radio Engineering. He worked in New Jersey for the Teletone Corp. until General Electric opened in Utica. The remainder of John's professional career was at GE. While working there, he became Head of Test while he simultaneously studied at Utica College of Syracuse University. He was then promoted to Specialist of Wave Theory Application, a position he held for the next 32 years. GE closed in Utica shortly after John retired. On September 11, 2018, John and his wife, Dolores (Gladwin), officially celebrated 64 years of marriage. Unofficially, they celebrated their marriage every day of their life together until Dolores passed on March 23, 2018. John's survivors include his daughter, Carol Docherty, with whom he resided, two sons and their wives, Mark & Kattie, of VA, and John and Carolyn of Clifton Park, NY, and his grandchildren, Anastasia and Andrew (Candice) Docherty, Kristopher Zawada, and Johanna Zawada. He leaves two special nephews, Ray and Dan Zawada, with whom he was very close. He also leaves many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and good friends whom he considered family. John was predeceased by all of his siblings: Walter, Mary, Tillie, Helen, Ted, Irene, Ed, Charles, Virginia, Michael, and Danny, and all of Dolores' siblings. He leaves his sisters-in-law Elsa (Ed) Zawada and Wanda (Donald) Gladwin. Throughout his life, John enjoyed and excelled at woodworking and was generous with sharing his skills with others. John was a voracious reader who remembered almost everything he read, giving him the ability to converse with anyone on a broad range of topics. The combination of his technical knowledge, woodworking expertise, and conversational skills enabled him to assist and mentor others until his final days. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial which will be celebrated on Saturday, April 13, at 10 AM at Holy Trinity Church., Utica. Those who wish may call one hour prior to the Mass at the Kowalczyk Funeral Home, 1156 Lincoln Avenue. Burial with military honors will take place in Holy Trinity Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions in his memory to Holy Trinity Church, 1206 Lincoln Ave., Utica, NY, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 507 Kent St., Utica, NY 13501 or, Hospice & Palliative Care, 4277 Middle Settlement Rd., New Hartford, NY 13413. Light a Candle at: www.kowalczykfuneralhomes.com