Paul W.T. Warnagiris

Paul W.T. Warnagiris, 84, died Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 at Lynn Care Rehabilitation Center, Front Royal, Va.

Mr. Warnagiris was born in Wyoming, the son of the late Witty and Frances Waiksnis Warnagiris, and was a graduate of Wyoming High School, where he was a member of the football and basketball teams.

A 1953 graduate of Wilkes College, he was also a member of the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of technical sergeant (1947 to 1949), and had served in Korea.

He served as president of St. Casimir's Church Choir and commander of the American Legion, Wyoming.

Paul was an employee of IBM in Endicott, N.Y., and of Sears in Kingston.

In 1969, Mr. Warnagiris and his wife, the former Christina Dobilas, established, published and edited the Wyoming Valley Observer, owned by Wyoming Observer Inc. The Observer, under Mr. Warnagiris's leadership, also established a series of weekly shoppers called The Neighbors in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. In Monroe County, Mr. Warnagiris published Pocono Today shopper and the Monroe County Sunday Herald weekly. He and John Rygiel published "The Great Flood of 1972," which was printed by Mr. Warnagiris's printing company, Cro Woods, Wyoming.

Mr. Warnagiris is survived, in addition to his wife, by seven children, their spouses and eight grandchildren, Mr. and Mrs. (née Kelly Murphy) Paul David Warnagiris, Winchester, Va.; Mr. and Mrs. (née Frances McMullen) John Warnagiris, Stroudsburg; Mr. and Mrs. (née Tammy Schall) George Warnagiris, Pittsburgh; William A. Warnagiris, Stroudsburg; Mr. and Mrs. (née Sandy Shivitz) Joseph Warnagiris, Pittsburgh; Mr. and Mrs. (née Dr. Chrissy Warnagiris) Allen Machielson, Huntington, Ind.; Maj. Christopher J. Warnagiris, U.S.M.C., Camp Lejune, N.C.; grandchildren, Kimberly, Paul Donald, Mary, Joseph, Abigail and Jacob Warnagiris; and Elizabeth and Thomas Machielson.

Paul is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Mrs. Sylvester (Mary Ann Bulger) Warnagiris, Kingston; Mrs. Vincent (Regina Dobilas) Poplawski, Dupont; and Mrs. George (Marcella Dobilas), Dupont; and brother-in-law, George Dobilas, Huntington Beach, Calif.

He was preceded in death by two sisters, Patricia and Joann Warnagiris; four brothers, Sylvester, Carl, William J. and Robert; and a sister-in-law, Mrs. Robert (Ruth Vitek) Warnagiris.

Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Kizis-Lokuta Funeral Home, 134 Church St., Pittston.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in St. John Evangelist Church Community, the former St. Casimir's Parish, Pittston, at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Interment will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Duryea.