James W. Shirley Funeral Home
Obituaries | The Tube City Almanac | November 01, 2019
Dr. Robert E. Beranek, 88, of North Huntingdon Township, died on October 31, 2019. He was born June 3, 1931 in the village of Central, East Huntingdon Township, a son of the late Charles and Anna Beranek. Dr. Beranek obtained a Bachelor's Degree with high honors from St. Vincent College in 1953. He was a veteran, having served twenty seven months in the US Army between 1953 and 1955. Following military service, he earned a Master's Degree in Political Science from Fordham University and a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Beranek taught in the Department of Political Science at Duquesne University for 35 years. While teaching a wide array of courses, his primary interests lie with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. When teaching Eastern Europe, Dr. Beranek placed special emphasis on the two countries from where his grandparents had originated, namely the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Widely acclaimed as an excellent lecturer, he received a Student Government Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. He retired as a Professor Emeritus of Political Science. Dr. Beranek was a member of the American Political Science Association and the Pennsylvania Political Science Association. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Edward Beranek, and a sister, Elsie Hapchuk. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty (Miller) Beranek of North Huntingdon; two sons, Robert A. Beranek and his wife, Pamela, of North Huntingdon; David E. Beranek and his wife, Tina, of Virginia; and a daughter, Lynn T. Vita and her husband, Charles, of North Huntingdon; six grandchildren, Leanndra, Lindsay, Matthew, Michael, Mikayla, Jonathon; two great-grandchildren, Cayden and Layla; sister, Marian Kitta, of Mount Pleasant; and numerous nephews and nieces. Family and friends will be received from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Sunday at the James W. Shirley Funeral Home, 176 Clay Pike, North Huntingdon. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday at the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, 1570 Clay Pike, North Huntingdon. Interment will follow in the Irwin Union Cemetery, Memorial donations may be made to the Westmoreland County Food Bank, 100 Devonshire Drive, Delmont, PA 15626. www.shirleyfuneralhome.com
Originally published November 01, 2019.
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