Andrew M. Charney

05/29/1957 - 06/15/2005

Andrew Michael Charney of Fairfax, Va., formerly of Ford City, died unexpectedly in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 15, 2005. Andy was employed by the J.J. Kirlin Plumbing Company, a contractor out of Rockville, Md. A Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax on June 20, with burial service immediately following in Fairfax City Cemetery. He was 48 years old. Andrew was the seventh child and fifth son of Mary A. (Stolar) and the late Michael J. "Kaiser" Charney of 1231 Sixth Ave., Ford City. He shared his birth date with President John F. Kennedy and received three letters acknowledging this fact from the White House during JFK's time in office. As a young child, before Memorial Day became a Monday holiday, he believed the annual Ford City Memorial Eve Candlelight Service was the entire town helping to celebrate his birthday. His date of birth was May 29, 1957. His educational background included a variety of venues in the Ford City area. He attended Holy Trinity Parochial School, Lenape Elementary School, Ford City Junior-Senior High School and Lenape Vocational-Technical School. He graduated from FCHS/Lenape in 1975. Andrew was a talented athlete who excelled in both team and individual sports throughout his life. He used his short, stocky build to advantage and played every game with determination and great enthusiasm. For four years of Little League baseball as a catcher for the Redlegs, he was known around the league for sparking rallies by beating out bunts and stealing bases. He was a starter and lettered for three years on Ford City High School varsity teams in both basketball and football. The "go-to guy" on the court, he was noted for his accurate, swishing shots and for drawing fouls by running around and sometimes under tall opponents. He was on the field for the entire football game, playing offense, defense and on special teams. He learned to bowl as a toddler and enjoyed participating in both league play and tournament competition. He competed one time in the Hoinke Classic and bowled in the annual Jednota (First Catholic Slovak Union) International Tournament for more than 20 years. He was a member of Jednota Branch 200 in Ford City. Having maintained a 195+ average since youth bowling, he once thought of becoming a professional bowler; he changed his mind when he realized that doing so would take the fun and sociability out of the sport for him. He played both fast and slow-pitch softball in Fairfax County leagues for many years and enjoyed an occasional round of golf. During the summer after his junior year at Lenape Vo-Tech, specializing in electronics, Andrew worked as an apprentice plumber with his oldest brother in the Washington, D.C. area. After graduation, he moved to Virginia and began working for the J.J. Kirlin Company. For more than 20 years, he did on-site plumbing installation at various federal and local buildings throughout the Washington,D.C. area. In the last 10 years, he became a computer draftsman and designer for Kirlin. He was named Employee of the Month in the drafting department five times. He received numerous accolades from customers and department supervisors for his "can-do" attitude, his ability to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks within strict deadlines, and his constant willingness to help and teach others. Andrew's life revolved around his family: his wife of 21 years, Susan (Beil) Charney, formerly of New Springfield, Ohio; son, Thomas; and twin daughters, Stephanie and Lisa. He was a regular chaperone for school band trips; he drove to all tournament softball league games; he coached and chaperoned their basketball teams; and he coached Little League baseball teams. As assistant leader for his son's Boy Scout Troop, he took more than 40 scouts on a two-week campout in Washington state in 2001. He also helped supervise their involvement as guides for the Inauguration Day Parade and festivities in 2001. A member of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Andrew sang and played guitar in the parish folk choir, where he was the only tenor in the group. He was preceded in death by his father; a brother, Joseph J. Charney, who had lived in Upper Marlboro, Md.; paternal grandparents, John A. and Mary E. (Marcincak) Charney; maternal grandparents, Joseph F. and Mary E. (Chvila) Stolar; seven uncles, John P. Charney, John P. Stolar, Paul Stolar and Stephen Stolar, all once residents of Ford City, Joseph M. Stolar and Andrew M. Stolar, who were residents of Ford Cliff, and George Charney, who had lived in Melvindale, Mich.; three aunts, Ann (Ondo) Charney, who was a resident of Ford City, Mary J. (Kondrc) Stolar, who lived in Ford Cliff, and Eleanor (Crytzer) Charney, who had lived in Melvindale, Mich., and was formerly of Manorville. He is survived by his wife and children, all of Fairfax, Va.; his mother; three brothers, Zigmund F. Charney of Fairfax, Va., Raymond P. Charney of Parker, Ariz. and William J. Charney of Hackettstown, N.J.; two sisters, Elizabeth J. (Charney) Cieri of Morris Plains, N.J. and Grace M. Charney of Ford City; eight cousins, Marlene (Stolar) Easley, John A. Charney and James Charney, all of Kittanning, Esther (Charney) Rogulsky of Apollo, Joanne (Charney) Reed of Worthington, Melissa (Charney) Austin of Adrian, Mich., George Charney of Gross Ile, Mich. and Rick Charney of Allen Park, Mich.; four nephews, Joseph J. Charney Jr. of Bath, Mich., Michael W. Charney of Cary, N.C., Troy M. Charney of Apex, N.C. and Todd D. Cieri of Delaware; two nieces, Jill D. (Cieri) Aquino of Newton, N.J. and Cary B. (Lewis) Crawford of Fairfax, Va.; two great-nephews in Michigan; and two great-nieces in North Carolina and Michigan. A Memorial Service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 6, 2005 at Christ, Prince of Peace Parish, 734 Fourth Ave., Ford City. Officiating will be the Rev. Edward J. Lewis with concelebrants, the Rev. Edward Volz, O.S.P. and the Rev. Raphael Glinkowski, O.S.P. Arrangements are by Faykosh Funeral Home, 701 Fourth Ave., Ford City, Mary Ann Badura, Funeral Director.