Joseph John (Jack) Ekl

May 13, 2017

James W. Shirley Funeral Home

Obituaries | The Tube City Almanac | May 15, 2017

Joseph John (Jack) Ekl of North Huntingdon passed away on Saturday, May 13 at the age of 79.

He is survived by his wife Frances (nee Bugajski), and they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage in June; his children: Debra (Ken Popelas), Joseph Jr. (Victoria), Randy (Maxine), and Robert (Donna); eight grandchildren: Tim, Brian, Adam, Spencer, Laura, Emily, Keith, and Justin; and brother: Terry (Brenda).  He was preceded in death by his parents John and Eleanor (Busata) Ekl, brother Tom, and sister Eleanor. Jack was a long time employee of General Motors, retiring with 45 years of service. The majority of his career was at Fisher Body, Dravosburg, as a supervisor in Tool and Die. He served in the Army National Guard, and received an Honorable Discharge at the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was inspector of Nike sites in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas and was also an instructor of Officer Candidate School at IndianTown Gap. Jack had many interests, including belonging to the GMC Motorhome club, where he previously held the office of Vice President of the Eastern States Motorhome Club, and enjoyed putting on seminars. Jack enjoyed photography, especially of covered bridges.  He was also a locksmith, hunter, mechanic, computer club member, and researched the family genealogy, cataloging thousands of family members.  He was instrumental in building the PAL baseball fields. He was quite involved in PAL basketball, as a coach, referee and commissioner for many years.  He was truly a Jack of many trades. Visitation will be held at the James W. Shirley Funeral Home on Clay Pike in North Huntingdon on Tuesday, May 16, from 2PM-4PM, and from 6PM-8PM.  A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Agnes Church on Wednesday, May 17, at 11:30AM, followed by interment at Penn Lincoln Memorial Park.  Memorials may be made to Norwin Public Library Ancestry Genealogy.  www.shirleyfuneralhome.com.

Originally published May 15, 2017.

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