Leonard M. Zubko

ZUBKO, LEONARD M., 86, died at his home in Mt. Dora, on August 21, 2006 after a relatively brief illness. He was born in Bridgeport, CT, the second son of Michael and Stella Zubko, immigrants from Pinsk and Minsk, Byelorusia. He was graduated from Rutgers University as a mechanical engineer, grateful for the help of friends and scholarships. While at Rutgers he was a competitive swimmer and gymnast, and was commissioned in the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1942. He proudly listed himself with "the greatest generation", having served with distinction in Burma, India, and China in World War II. After receiving a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering at RPI, and teaching and conducting research at the University of Illinois, he joined the General Electric Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. He subsequently worked with GE in Burlington, VT, from 1960 until 1973, at which time he was selected by GE to open its first business office in Moscow, Russia, moving there with his wife, Frances. After five years working abroad, they returned to Schenectady, NY, and in 1981, retired to Mt. Dora, FL. He is survived by his wife, Kristina of Mt. Dora and Vilnius, Lithuania, his daughter, Tanya Cimonetti and her husband Bill in South Burlington, VT, his grandson Michael Cimonetti and his wife, Wendi Urie of Livingston, MT, and his granddaughter Maria Cimonetti, and his two great granddaughters, Eliza Callwood and Sophie Lapointe, of Shelburne, VT. He was predeceased by his parents, his older brother, Boris, and his wife of 59 years, Frances Onka Zubko. A reception for family and friends will be held Wednesday afternoon, August 23, 2006, 3-5PM, at the Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora. The family wishes to thank Hospice of Lake County, FL, for their care and kindness.