Edward Boyko

Edward Boyko, 100, of Seattle, Washington, formerly of New Port Richey, passed away in Seattle on March 16, 2025. Born October 1924 in Bethlehem Pa to immigrant parents from Eastern Europe. He had 2 sisters and 3 brothers, all of whom were deceased at the time of his passing. He survived the Great Depression then enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 after being incorrectly assigned at first to Army, a mistake that was corrected after he loudly pointed it out to the recruiter. After gunsight training at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, he was stationed on the USS Shenandoah in the Atlantic Ocean. After an honorable discharge from the military in 1946, he married Mary Levan and attended Muhlenburg College for one year. He had to drop out due to financial reasons and began his career as a machinist at Bethlehem Steel Corp. He did overtime work when available and paid his son's college and medical school educational expenses completely. While working full time he built a ranch style house in Hellertown PA with the help of relatives and in-laws who were in building trades. At his work he served as union shop steward but near the end of his career he was promoted to foreman. This was a fitting role for him as he freely expressed his opinions and whenever not behind the steering wheel was a backseat driver. Mary often referred to him as "Big Boss." He took family on vacations annually to Atlantic City or Wildwood on the New Jersey shore. After retirement, he and Mary moved to New Port Richey FL where they enjoyed exercise at the YMCA, golf, and especially dance. He also loved to sing and took both singing and dance lessons. Edward and Mary attended dances regularly until their mid-nineties when they were no longer physically capable of this activity. In his nineties he often expressed his ambition to survive to age 100 years, an age no family member had ever reached. He succeeded! He was preceded in death by Mary who passed in 2023 after 75 years of marriage. He is survived by his physician-son Edward and grandchildren Bryan and Eva. He showed great generosity and love to family members and will be missed.