Robert Eugene Mittrick Ph.D.

Robert Eugene Mittrick, Ph.D., of Dallas, passed away Saturday evening, Feb. 2, 2019, at the age of 77.

He was born on April 22, 1941, and raised in the Lyndwood section of Hanover Twp.

Due to the death of his father during a coal mine explosion, Bob was raised on the family homestead by his mother, Anna Mittrick, who worked in various silk mills in the area. His aunt, Julie, was a housekeeper for the family. His favorite uncle, Joe, bought him comic books and took him to shows and baseball trips to New York. His younger uncle,Walter, also known as Perchy, was the talented member of the family, working as an entertainer under the name of Mal Wayne.

Bob attended Hanover area schools, graduating with honors in 1958. He then attended King's College. While at King's, he was a member of the Aquinas Honor Society and was part of the group that represented King's at the CBS College Bowl program. He graduated from King's with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and government. Afterwards, he accepted a fellowship to Harvard University, intending to work in the state department. However, he changed his career plans and began teaching in various schools, mainly in New Jersey and one year in Kingston, N.Y. While teaching in New Jersey, he earned a master's degree in history at Rutgers University and completed all his coursework and exams and initiated work on various topics for his dissertation.

He returned to Pennsylvania to teach at Luzerne County Community College from 1970 to 2005. He also attended Marywood University from 1972 to 1977, where he received his master's degree in social science in 1977. In the meantime, he married Andrea Tomolonis, the love of his life, and they built a home together in Dallas. They had a son, Mark, in 1981. Eventually, Bob returned to Rutgers to finish his dissertation under the direction of Professor William Gillette on voting rights in Pennsylvania following the Civil War.

Along with his colleagues Sheldon Spear, Robert Janosov, and William Camp, and with the encouragement of LCCC's president Thomas Moran, they began the North East Pennsylvania Conference, which became known as Luzerne County's History Day. He later made presentations on Arthur James and John Fine. Following his retirement from LCCC, he continued to do research on county politics in Luzerne County from the 1920s through the early 2000s.

Bob's favorite pastimes included reading history and mysteries, playing basketball, racquetball, and golf, but most of all he really enjoyed walking his Norwegian elkhound, Elke. Bob enjoyed spending time with his wife, Andrea, and son, Mark, who became a computer scientist for the military, and his daughter-in-law, Julia, a Ph.D. microbiologist who does cancer research at Johns Hopkins University. Bob also greatly enjoyed discussing politics with his brother-in-law, Dennis Tomolonis. Bob was a member of Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church on Turner Street in Plymouth where he served on the governing board as vice president, and later became a member of Gate of Heaven Roman Catholic Church in Dallas.

Family and friends are invited to attend Divine Liturgy at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 20 Nottingham St., Plymouth.

Family and friends are invited to call from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday with Parastas Service at 7 p.m. at S.J. Grontkowski Funeral Home, 530 W. Main St., Plymouth.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, 39 E. Jackson St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701, or the SPCA of Luzerne County, 524 E. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

To submit condolences to Bob's family, please visit www.sjgrontkowskifuneralhome.com.