Alex J. Hrichak, 94, formerly from Vernon, CT, passed from this life, peacefully with caregivers and family with him in Seguin, TX on June 12, 2016.
He was born February 4, 1922, in St. Clair, PA, to the late Alex and Anna Barron Hrichak. He was married to the late Rita Hrichak.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Elaine and Jack Rosenberg of San Marcos, TX, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters, Mary Marks, of Elizabeth, NJ and Margaret Bruce, of Union City, GA and several nieces, great-nieces, nephews, and great-nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Dennis Jackson, brothers, Frank, George, Paul, Mike, and John Hrichak and sisters, Anna Tobin and Sue Lyons.
Alex started his working career in the coal mines of PA and then planting trees in the CCC camps. He moved to NYC and worked at the famous Horn & Hardart Automat. He proudly served in the U.S. Army, 5th Air Force from 1942 to 1945 where he fought in New Guinea and the Philippines. He moved to Hartford, CT where he worked as a heavy equipment operator for Anderson Faroaks and was a member of the IUOE Local 478. He had lived in his house that he and his wife, Rita designed, from 1967 to 2014, when he moved to Texas to live with his daughter. While living in Vernon, he and his best friend, Jim O’Neil, also a WW II veteran, enjoyed going out for lunch and being recognized together as WW II veterans. He was fortunate to travel to Washington D.C. in May, 2014 with 59 other WWII Veterans on the Honor Flight Austin program to see their war memorials. He was a beloved resident of the Argent Court Assisted Living Facility where his caregivers called him “Poppa”. His family is grateful to their staff for their dedication to his care and comfort.
Relatives and friends may join the family on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 5-7 PM at the Burke-Fortin Funeral Home, 76 Prospect Street, Rockville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 am on Friday, June 17, 2016 at St. Bernard’s Church, Rockville. Burial will follow at St. Bernard’s Cemetery, Vernon.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.
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