Stephen Semancik

Stephen Thomas Semancik, "Steve" born December 22, 1931 and died on December 14, 2009 after a short but very courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his brother Joseph, his four children, Taunya A. Blake, and Rod, Stephen J. Semancik, and Debi, Katherine Clark, and Gene, John Semancik, and Stephanie, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of Boise. He was preceded in death by his father Baltazar, his mother Anna, and his sisters Marjorie, Theresa, Dorothy and his brother Cyril. His mother and three of his siblings traveled to the United States to start a new life from Olsov, Northeastern Slovakia in February 1930 where they settled in Cleveland, Ohio. His father came to America two years before the rest of the family and found a home and a job at the Otis Steel Works where Steve worked part time as a young man. The Semancik family homesite still stands in Olsov. Stephen attended Nativity B.V.M. elementary school and graduated from Benedictine High School in Cleveland and at the age of 18 started a 20 year career in the U.S. Air Force. He spent a year long tour in Osan Korea during the Korean war and had tours in Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, North Dakota , Utah, and two tours in Athens Greece where he retired and ended his Air Force career. In August of 1971, he relocated his family from Greece to Boise Idaho. After retiring from the Air Force he went back to school at Boise State University and earned his accounting degree. He then went on to another 20 year long career with the Postal Service. Early in his military career, he met and married Shirlene, the mother of his four children. Shirlene passed away in 1991. In 1994, he reconnected with a longtime family friend, Elinor Petersen, and they became the best of friends. Elinor "Cookie" passed away in January 2009. Thank you to all of the Petersen family for all you did for our dad. Steve's big passion in life was golf. He scored his first "hole in one" at Terrace Lakes Golf Course. The highlight of his golfing passion was when he attended the 2006 Masters Tournament at Augusta Georgia. Thank you to Taunya and Rod for arranging the trip of his lifetime. We love you and we will miss you Dovidenia Otec, milujen t'a There will be a memorial service on Tuesday December 22, 2009 at Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel, at 5400 Fairview Ave, Boise, ID at noon and then at the Veterans Cemetery for a military service at 2:00 p.m. After the service there will be a celebration of his life at his home at 8734 Donnybrook in Boise.