Obituary of Walter Hwozdek

Walter Peter Hwozdek, born August 19, 1925 of State College, age 86, died peacefully at his home on Sunday, July 22, 2012. Walter was born in Iselin, New Jersey, son of Peter Hwozdek and Tielle Pssjarlak Hwozdek, who were recent immigrants from Poland and the Ukraine, respectively. He was one of two sons; his brother, Tony, passed away nearly 30 years ago. Walter grew up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood where exposure to a wide variety of young immigrant families fostered his lifetime love of ethnic foods and cooking. He was drafted into military service in 1943, though he was never deployed overseas, and was honorably discharged as a Private First Class in May 1946. Walter attended Brooklyn Polytechnic University on the GI Bill and graduated in 1951 with a B.S. in Chemistry. He went to work for Merck and Company in New Jersey and then advanced into Research and Development and Management at numerous companies including Johnson and Johnson, Air Reduction Company, National Polychemicals, and Handy and Harman. He was a member of the American Chemical Society. Walter also obtained a patent for "Dyed Surgical Gut and Process," published July 31, 1962 while working at Ethicon Suture Laboratories, Inc. Walter moved his family to State College in 1967 to work for Erie Tech. In 1972, when the company was sold, he, with firm encouragement from his wife, Mickey, started his own company, Premetek, Inc. where he served as the President and Owner until passing the company on to his son, Jeffrey, in 2005. Premetek, Inc. specializes in designing customized precious metal conductive inks for the electronics industry. Despite retiring, he continued to go into the office and "putter" until six months before his passing. Walter enjoyed many things over his lifetime. He loved scuba diving and deep sea fishing in his younger years, and still proudly holds the record for the largest lobster caught one summer in the late 1950's on Cape Cod. He loved boating and camping and enjoyed wonderful family adventures at lakes and the ocean, from New England to Pennsylvania to as far as California. He took great pride in growing his beloved tomatoes year round, tinkering every winter with various homemade growing boxes. He was a craftsman skilled at woodworking and masonry, and could fix anything that family or neighbors found needing repair. Walter liked teaching and sharing what he knew -- whether it was how to properly lay a brick patio or navigate math and English homework. He had enormous fun teaching sixth-grade Sunday school with his wife, Mickey. He took great pleasure in cooking. In the kitchen, he was the consummate chemist - the more complicated the recipe, the better the experiment. He loved playing poker with his buddies. Walter attended St. Andrew's Episcopal Church with Mickey for over 43 years. He was a member of the State College Elks Club. Walter married Mildred "Mickey" Zinn of Danbury, Connecticut, November 23, 1963, who survives him at home. He is also survived by his children, Jeffrey David Hwozdek of Centre Hall, Roberta Susan Ventrillo and her husband, Nicholas, of Lebanon, Jennifer Ellen Hwozdek of State College, and Bruce Martin Hwozdek and his wife, Marilyn Mitchell, of Philadelphia. He is pre-deceased by his son, Ronald Alfred Hwozdek. Walter has five surviving grandchildren: Daniel, Christopher, Nicole, Christina, and Nicholas. Visitation will be held 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 South Atherton St., State College. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 1, 2012, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 208 West Foster Avenue, State College, followed by a reception at the church. Burial will be at the Boalsburg Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.