John Kulik

John Kulik, age 98, formerly of Butler, passed away on Friday February 28 at Beacon Hospice in Austin, Texas.
John was born in Butler PA in 1926. As a young teen he enjoyed league softball, roller skating, and building model airplanes. He entered the U.S. Navy immediately after graduation from Butler High School in 1944, near the end of World War II. After boot camp, he was selected for Fire Control training, and sent first to Seattle, Washington, then to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While he was in Fort Lauderdale, the war ended with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Training stopped immediately, and John was shipped to the Philippines to relieve the troops there. He was eventually discharged and returned to Butler in 1946.
Back in Butler, he began attending dances at the Blue Room, where he met his future wife Eleanor Baker. John sat out the jitterbug numbers, but always found Eleanor for the slow dances. They were married in 1950 and raised three children. Along with family life, John loved music, had a passion for gardening, and was always proud of his ability to fix just about anything. John and Eleanor celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in 2019, a few months before Eleanor’s passing.
John was employed by Associates Finance Company in Butler, and subsequently rose to become Branch Manager at their offices in Wheeling, West Virginia and Steubenville, Ohio. In 1967, he accepted a position as Vice President at Union National Bank in Pittsburgh, from which he eventually retired.
He is survived by his children David, Daniel, and Amy Kulik; their spouses Deena Scaperotta and Kim (Fleischel) Kulik; grandchildren Felix and Marcus Kulik, Sarah Kulik-Watkins, John “Bub” Kulik, Caitlin (Kulik) McClure, Eli Wall; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received at the Geibel Funeral Home, 201 East Cunningham Street, Butler, from 2-4 and 6-8 pm on Friday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, at 10:00 am, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 128 North McKean Street in Butler. Interment will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Butler.