Jerry A. Kotek

YORK TWP. Jerry A. Kotek, 83, passed away on Monday, October 31, 2011, at York Hospital with his family by his side. Following cremation, a celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at the Etzweiler Funeral Home, 1111 E. Market St., York. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. A burial at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens will follow. Born in 1928, in Little Ferry, N.J., Jerry was the third of four children of Frank and Josephine (Vincensova) Kotek, Czech immigrants who owned and operated the local bakery. Jerry learned to bake at the shop and demonstrated his baking skills as a father by showing his children how to make traditional Czech cookies at Christmas. He graduated from Lodi High School in Lodi, N.J., in 1946. Jerry was an accomplished bowler and considered turning professional. Jerry was drafted into the U.S. Army and served with commendation in the Korean War as a communications linesman. He was proud of his service, although he didn't like to talk about it much. He attended the dedication ceremony of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1995. After the war, Jerry married his sweetheart, Florence Matich in 1954. They were married for 53 years until her death in 2007. Jerry took full advantage of the opportunity to receive a college education under the G.I. Bill, attending Farleigh Dickinson University and graduating with a degree in industrial engineering in 1959. Jerry and Florence moved to York in 1963, when Jerry was hired by York Borg-Warner (which later became York International). He specialized in inventory control and was active in the local chapter of the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS). Jerry retired after 25 years at the company and continued to work several years afterwards as a consultant to the firm, traveling to Mexico frequently to advise them on their new factories there. Jerry's passion was the collection and study of stamps and postcards and organic gardening. He was an active volunteer in the White Rose Philatelic Society and shared his joy of stamp collecting with the Colonial York Junior Stamp Club. He was particularly interested in stamps from the former Czechoslovakia. Jerry was always planning, organizing, and attending stamp and postcard shows. He was a founding member of the York Post Card Club. In retirement, he traveled frequently to postcard shows along the East Coast, buying and selling cards with his friend, Dr. Richard Moulton from Victoria, B.C. Jerry enjoyed serving his community. He and Florence helped organize York Township's 250th anniversary celebration in 2003. He was appointed to the York Township Zoning Hearing Board in 1998 where he served for 10 years. Jerry believed in the importance of voting and worked as a poll worker with his wife for several years. Jerry is survived by his three children: a daughter, Susan Kotek Sprague and her husband, Kevin of Dallastown, a daughter, Tina Kotek and her partner, Aimee Wilson of Portland, Ore., and a son, Steven Kotek, his companion, Trudy O'Keefe, and their daughter, Dynola of York. He is also survived by his sisters, Emily Lhotsky of Youngtown, Ariz., and Frances Gwiazda of Maywood, N.J. He was preceded in death by his older brother, Frank Kotter. Memorial contributions may be made to the White Rose Philatelic Society/Colonial York Junior Stamp Club, c/o John Huffnagle, P.O. Box 85, Glen Rock, PA, 17327. www.etzweiler.com