Edward W. Prusik

Edward Prusik passed away peacefully and went to be with the Lord on September 3rd, 2020. Edward is predeceased by his wife, Janet I. Prusik (2015), and his son William E. Prusik (2007).

Ed is survived by his children; Kathleen Prusik, Joan (Joel) Dunham, Joseph Prusik, and Kimberly (Daniel) Hill. He has 10 grandchildren, Tiffany Hampton (Tina Rought) , Justin Mcglynn (Jackie Goodrich), Corey (Brandi) Prusik, James (Marsha) Morgan, Victoria Morgan, Vincent Morgan, Kara Cavanaugh, Stacy Cavanaugh, Olivia Hill, Evan Hill, and 12 great grandchildren: as well as many nieces and nephews.

Edward was born on October 10th, 1921 from his parents Frances & Francis Prusik. He was the first-born American descendant from a Polish heritage that had 9 brothers and sisters: Frank (1909-1977), Stanley (1911-1979), Stella (1913-1987), Benny (1914-1994), Edna (1916-2009), Chester (1918-1982), Walter (1920-2012), Helen (1924-1999), and Phyllis (1925-2018). Edward served as a First-Class Sargent in the 86th “Black Hawk” Infantry Division at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. He was a World War II Veteran of the US Army and was awarded the high honor of a Bronze Star. He courageously served in Poland and Germany, and was also stationed in Hawaii, and the Colorado Ski Troops during his Service.

Born during the Great Depression, Edward knew the value of the dollar and what opportunity meant in America. He strongly felt that hard work and dedication would prevail in life.  He was a true family man and was able to work hard and save money to always provide for his family. Edward always wanted to be an artist and an astronomer. He had many technical drawings published in manuals, and loved to learn about the stars, outer space, and our galaxy. A believer in higher education, Edward earned his high school diploma after the war ended, at the age of 22.

After obtaining his GED, Ed attended night school at BOCES to study Television Service and Repair. He helped to service all his family’s televisions back in the day and assisted in any home improvement project that may have had. Edward was definitely a self-made man; he learned to file his own taxes, probate a will, and prepared and finalized a divorce. Over the years, Edward worked in various places as NYC, Maryland, Endicott and Owego, NY, and eventually retired in 1984 as a Failure Analysis Engineer from IBM. Ed was honored during a high light in his career at IBM in which his team researched the Texas Instruments part that failed during the Challenger Shuttle explosion. He often reminisced about the exciting time, “The whole world watched waited to hear what caused the Challenger to blow up.” He also talked about meeting Eleanor Roosevelt and Thomas J. Watson in an elevator during his time with IBM.

Edward was true definition of a gentleman – he was strong yet gentle and loved the married life. He was married to Dorothy McDonald for over 20 years and married to his late wife Janet Prusik for 43 years.  He often loved to go dancing with his wife Janet and to listen to Rich Wilson play at various establishments. He always sang, “You are my Sunshine,” and “Please Release Me” to his children. Edward was exceedingly kind, compassionate, caring, and loved spending time with his family. He was a practicing member of the Catholic Faith in St. James Church in Johnson City, NY and sang in the choir was he was a small boy. He was a man of his word, a trusted confident, and someone you could turn to for help or guidance.

Edward was known as being “Mr. Fix It,” “James Bond,” the “Bionic Man,” and “Rolling Thunder.” He taught his children and grandchildren how to change the oil in their vehicles, to fix their own breaks, and to repair any small electrical appliances. He loved to watch westerns, war movies, and to talk about the good old days of living on a farm as a child. He would always tell stories about the war, teach his children Polish, and talked about his memories of living and working in NYC on 5th Ave. Edward taught his entire family the game of pinochle, and he loved to hunt and fish with his son, nephew, and grandson. He had his own private cottage and hunting grounds in Hancock, NY right next to his brother Stanley. 

 Edward was genuine, charming, strong yet gentle, and loved to crack jokes and keep people smiling around him. A member of the Greatest Generation, he was a time-tested hero to all that loved him. He will always be loved, remembered, and never forgotten.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, September 10th at St. James Church in Johnson City, NY. Burial with Military Honors will follow in Vestal Hills Memorial Park.

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