John Romanko

1929 - 2016

John Romanko, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016. Service: Private services will be held at Village on the Park in Friendswood, Texas. John was born to Demetro and Varvara Romanko on July 2, 1929, in Toronto, Canada, where he grew up in a Ukrainian community and studied hard at school, graduating two years early from high school. He attended the University of Toronto to obtain a Doctorate of Philosophy in Physics. During his time at the University of Toronto, he married his beloved wife Rose, and they had their first of three sons. The three moved to Fort Worth when John was offered a job at Convair to develop a nuclear powered aircraft. Convair soon became General Dynamics then, later, Lockheed Martin. Not only did John rise to the ranks of General Dynamics top scientist during his 37 years there, he also won the Lockheed Employee Hall of Fame award. Some of his R and D efforts included nuclear and space radiation effects, holographic interferometry, and adhesive bonding. John authored over 60 technical publications, including five symposium presentations in foreign countries. John was President and Board Chairman of the Fort Worth Chapter of the National Management Association. He was the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair Board Chairman for a number of years and became the Board Chairman for the International Science & Engineering Fair, hosting this important international event twice in Fort Worth. In his personal life, he greatly enjoyed performing the violin. In Toronto as a youth, he performed in a gypsy band, earning money through high school and college to help pay his way through college. He continued his love of music teaching his three sons to play the violin, viola and cello. John performed with the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra for dozens of years, well into his retirement. He was President of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth where his sons played for many years. For several years, he was a hockey coach for his sons and, along with his wife, chauffeured their sons around town for competitive swimming events, hockey games, orchestra rehearsals and concerts and many other activities. A proud descendent of Ukrainian parents, John was extremely active in the Ukrainian community in Texas, with heavy involvement in the Ukrainian American Society of Texas for decades. John served as president of this organization for several years. Survivors: His wonderful wife of 63 years, Rose; his sister, Sophie; his three dedicated sons, Michael, Walter and Terry; grandchildren, Lisa, Kristi, Luke, Jonathan, Matthew, Sarah, David and Hannah; and six great-grandchildren, all of whom miss him greatly, but know that he is now with God.