David J. Tkaczyk

David J. Tkaczyk, 70, of Kingston Twp., passed away Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

Born in Kingston, he was the son of the late Bernard and Laura Tkaczyk.

After attending Central Catholic High School, Dave joined the U.S. Air Force. He served for 6 years focused on repairing electronics systems used on aircraft. Dave often joked that he joined the Air Force to see the world and only got as far as the Jersey Shore. He never liked the beach.

Upon discharge, Dave had a 35-year career at Tobyhanna Army Depot in satellite communications. He earned numerous certifications to advance his career.

Dave loved to learn, and after his retirement in 2013, he continued to stay up to date on the latest technology. We had every movie long before Netflix did.

Dave was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers fan and faithfully watched the games from his workbench in the basement. He could often be found tinkering with computers or other electronics. He was the family's go to person to fix anything and always carried a Swiss army knife, with a story or an eyeroll handy in case the problem couldn't be fixed by a Phillips Head.

As his children grew up, they regularly visited Dad in the basement to share a beer, watch a game, and ask for advice. He was always thoughtful and direct. While Dave was a man of few words, it wasn't because of a lack of vocabulary. He knew the value of words and most importantly that they could be wasted.

When the basement projects were completed, Dave could be found in a flannel shirt watching his grandkids play baseball, softball and basketball and attending their various other events and activities.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Catherine Schappert; children Amie Clancy and her husband, James; Adam Tkaczyk and his wife, Courtney; David Tkaczyk and his wife, Talia; eight grandchildren, Adyson, Paisley, Brayden, Parker, Emma, James, Piper and Grace; and his siblings, Bernard Tkaczyk and wife, Kathy; and Theresa Nixon and husband, Jim.

A celebration of life will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 30, from Harold C. Snowdon Funeral Home Inc., 140 N. Main St., Shavertown.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of the donor's choice in Dave's name.