Stephen Palko

Stephen Paul Palko VIRGINIA BEACH - Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stephen Paul Palko, passed away at home Nov. 12, 2009. He was 80 years old. Steve was born in Simpson, Pa., to the late Mikulas and Maria Palko. He was the fourth of five children, and the first born in the United States. He spoke only Czechoslovakian until he went to first grade. He passed up a basketball scholarship at St. Bonaventure to join the Army in 1947. Due to the Korean War he was not able to get out of the military after his seven years, so he went to OCS and became an artillery officer. He began his career in a tank division, and ended his career with the Air Defense Missile System. He retired after 24 years of service. Next he graduated cum laude from ODU with a B.S. degree in business administration. For the next 12 years he worked as an auditor for the United States General Accounting Office, retiring in 1989. His 36 years of dedicated federal service was recognized by the Comptroller General of the United States. Steve was a member of St. Michael's Parish in Simpson, Pa., American Legion Post 113, The National Organization of Retired Federal Workers, The Military Officers Association of America, and a member and past vice president of the Retired Officers Association of Tidewater. Steve is survived by his wife of 40 years, Miriam Kay Lutzelman Palko; his daughter, Monique and husband Dr. Erik Schobitz; grandchildren, Nikulas, Anastasia, and Aleah of Clarksburg, Md.; former wife, Gerda L'Heureux; daughter, Susan Proffitt; and grandchildren, Toni Cerino and Stephen Proffitt of Virginia Beach; his son, Steffen Palko and wife Betsy; grandchildren, Nicholas, Alexis, and Steffen; son Steffen's former wife, Mary; grandchildren, Andrea Palko, Erich, wife Jennifer; and two great-grandchildren, Maxwell and Piper Palko, all of Fort Worth, Texas. Steve is also survived by his sister, Teresa Perkowski of Bridgeport, Conn., and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Barbara Sanko and Mary Gallick; his brother, Nicholas Palko; and niece, Mary Anne Bevacqua. A funeral will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at Altmeyer Funeral Home, 5792 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach. The viewing will be at 1 p.m. and the service at 2 p.m. with a reception following. Burial will be at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cancer Care Foundation of Tidewater, P.O. Box 12693, Norfolk, VA 23541, or to a charity of your choice. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.altmeyer.com.