Michael D. KOPYCHAK

KOPYCHAK, Michael D.

Michael D. Kopychak was born in his grandmother's house in Keyser Valley, Pennsylvania in 1937 and died on July 30, 2014, in Austin, Texas, after battling Parkinson's Disease for over nine years.



At six weeks of age he moved to Endicott, New York where his family lived and operated a neighborhood grocery store on the north side area called The Knob. It was an exciting place to grow up. In 1964, Michael discovered Boca Raton, Florida, when he became a member of the first class of students to open Florida Atlantic University. From the very first time he drove on the grounds of FAU, he knew this was the place, even though there were only five university buildings in place. The campus was located on the grounds of a World War II Army-Air Force training base for pilots. Michael graduated in the second class in August 1965. He decided to stay in Boca Raton for 14 years, where he owned and operated a business and became a respected member of the business community. Boca was a great place to live in the 1960s and 1970s. On July 16, 1969, Michael was privileged to be at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island to witness the launch of Apollo 11 Space Flight to the moon. He was as close to launch pad 39A as was allowed.



Michael sold his business in the late 1970s and decided to vacation in the Washington, D.C. area and visit friends. He only intended to stay a couple of weeks, but was offered a job and stayed four years. This was an entirely different setting from Boca Raton, fast-paced and he was handling national accounts for a printing/direct mail company. In Washington he met Pat, who was on the White House staffs of Presidents Nixon and Ford. They married and then made a final move to Austin, where Pat had grown up and was a fifth generation Texan. Michael became an employee of the State of Texas until his retirement in 1999.



Michael is survived by his loving, caring wife Pat, two sons Kyle and Kevin of Florida, and his mother-in-law Aletha McGuire. His ashes will be interred in Port Aransas, Texas, Michael and Pat's second home for many years. The sun always shines there and the cemetery is located behind the Port A Playhouse, guaranteeing he will catch all the opening acts. Well done, Michael, well done.



A Celebration of Michael's Life will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5 in the Multi-purpose Room at The Renaissance, 11279 Taylor-Draper Lane, Austin. Memorial contributions would be appreciated to the Capital Area Parkinson's Society, a local organization that helps those living with Parkinson's Disease.



Please visit Michael's memorial at www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com.