Mr. Charles D. Pytko

Mr. Charles D. Pytko, longtime resident of 145 Cromwell Ave., passed away peacefully on Friday, his 96th birthday, at Rosewood Assisted Living Facility. Born in Cheshire, February 28, 1918, the son of Polish Immigrants, Stanislaw and Tekla Sitnik Pytko, he moved to Pittsfield as a child and attended the local schools. He was a 1936 graduate of Pittsfield High School, where he was a tri-sport athlete playing basketball, baseball, and football. A WWII veteran, Mr. Pytko was a sergeant in the US Army from 1941 until 1945 serving as one of the airplane mechanics who were known as the “Fly Boys”. Following his honorable discharge, Mr. Pytko went to work for General Electric as an assembler in the tank shop in the Power Transformer Division. He was employed there for over 40 years, retiring in the 1980’s. A communicant of St. Joseph’s Church, he was a longtime parishioner of the former Holy Family Church until its closing. He was a longtime member of the Polish Falcons Club and was a member of the General Electric Quarter Century and Pensioners’ Club. For many years he was a beekeeper and made his own honey. He enjoyed dancing, especially the polka. He was also a fan of the Boston Red Sox and was an avid organic vegetable gardener. He and his wife, the former Isabel Germanowski, were married on June 28, 1947. She died June 17, 1993. He is survived by his son, Daniel Pytko and his husband Leonard Yon of Pittsfield; his two daughters, Barbara Pytko-Drumm of Pittsfield and Jane Pytko and her partner David Fish of Washington, MA; and two grandchildren, Baron Drumm of New York City and Zaviere Drumm of Stockbridge. He was predeceased by another son, Frederick Pytko, who died in 1976. He is also predeceased by his longtime companion and dancing partner, Ruth Ann Bombardier, who died October 27, 2013. FUNERAL NOTICE Funeral Services for Mr. Charles D. Pytko will be held on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at 1:00PM at the DWYER FUNERAL HOME, 776 North St., Pittsfield, MA 01201 with Msgr. Michael Shershanovich, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, officiating. Burial will be in the spring in Cheshire Cemetery. Calling hours at the funeral home will precede the service from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM. A reception following the service will be held at the Berkshire Hills Country Club. If friends desire, donations in his memory may be made to HospiceCare in The Berkshires in care of the funeral home. DONATIONS CANNOT BE MADE ONLINE, but may be made through the Dwyer Funeral Home.

Mr. Charles D. Pytko

February 28, 1918 - February 28, 2014