Richard Jorkasky

Richard Joseph Jorkasky, 95, passed away peacefully on May 1 at the Grand Villa Memory Care Center in New Port Richey, Florida.

 He was born in Altoona, son of the late Chester and Lucy (Wojtowicz) Jorkasky. On February 14, 1950, he married Jane Katherine (Glod) at St. Peter and Paul Church in Altoona. After 59 years of marriage, she preceded him in death on July 27, 2009. Richard was the last surviving member of his immediate family, preceded in death by brothers George (2021), Wallace (2007), and Chester (1985).

 Surviving are daughter Dr. Diane (spouse Joseph Trifiletti) of Devon, Pennsylvania, sons Richard Joseph II (spouse Gale) of New Port Richey, Florida, and James of Arlington, Virginia, and grandson Richard Joseph III of Omaha, Nebraska.

 A 1947 graduate of Altoona High School, he initially worked as a Carman Apprentice for the Pennsylvania Railroad. A member of the Pennsylvania National Guard stationed in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, his unit was called up in 1950 for military service, where he trained for deployment at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. While in the U.S. Army, 28^th Division, Quartermaster Corps. and stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, he achieved the rank of Corporal and served as a Light Vehicle Driver assigned to the motor pool. He was honorably discharged in 1952, earning an Occupation Medal.   

 Upon returning to the U.S., he attended Penn State University (State College and Altoona campuses) and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1958. He joined the accounting firm of Card, Palmer & Sibisson in Cleveland, Ohio, as a Registered Public Accountant where he worked for 12 years, conducting client audits and training staff. In 1970, he was named Secretary-Treasurer/Board Member  of the Bodwell Lemon Company in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as its successor The Beck Company, industrial roofing and sheet metal companies where he worked until his retirement in 1992.  

 Richard’s dedication to church and community service began early with his role as an altar boy at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Altoona. Upon moving to suburban Cleveland, he was a devout member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bedford, Ohio, where he served on Council (including a year as President), as a Minister of the Eucharist, and as Treasurer for the annual Catholic Charities drive. He was a member of Kiwanis International, serving as the Bedford, Ohio, Chapter President for three terms, as the state Lieutenant Governor, and as an Ohio Delegate to the national and international conventions. He was especially proud of his leadership of the Kiwanis Youth Services Committee which sponsored Student Government Day at Beford High School each year.

His dedication to public service continued into his retirement in New Port Richey Florida, where he served as a Minister of the Eucharist at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and as President of the Hudson, Florida Polish Club.

 A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 10 am at Our Lady of Fatima Church at 2010 12^th Avenue, Altoona by Monsignor Stanley Carson. Inurnment will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in memory of Richard Joseph Jorkasky be made to the Gulfside Hospice, 2061 Collier Parkway, Land O’Lakes, Florida 34639 and at https://www.gulfside.org.