Paul Kowalchuck

On November 29th 2020, Paul Kowalchuck was reunited in Heaven with his beloved wife, Anna. Born June 26th, 1927 on the Parker Farm in West Newton, Paul spent 93 years in the immediate area, most of which were spent working incredibly hard, providing for his family, friends and neighbors and ensuring laughter was never too far away. Paul, or Pap as he was known to so many, grew up in West Newton, son of George and Julia (Getchy) Kowalchuck, immigrants from the Ukraine. He worked tirelessly as a farmer, running farms in West Newton for years. He raised cows and chickens and had names for each cow. Paul’s skills transcended the farmlands and into the industrial world as he built scale model locomotives at Crown Metal in Elizabeth that would make their way to Idlewild and amusement parks across the country. Staying in West Newton meant he would meet Annie - they would marry in 1952 and raise three wonderful children. Paul continued working multiple sales and manufacturing jobs to support his family and spent his final working years running the shop at Pineer Manufacturing in Rillton. He retired in 1997, giving him time to pursue his passions. Paul was known for throwing one heck of a party during his annual summer Pig Roast, held at his son’s Belle Vernon home that he built or his daughter’s Sutersville home. Anyone who knew Paul was invited to the Pig Roast to listen to polkas, drink homemade wine and watch the pig turn on his homemade spit. Speaking of wine, Paul’s prized wine took home blue ribbons several times, and he never missed an Italian Festival in Uniontown. In his later years, Paul still enjoyed reading the daily newspaper while drinking a hot cup of coffee (sometimes with Sambuca), watching the news and sitting on his front porch, staring out across the farmland and enjoying watching birds at his feeder. Paul maintained his sense of humor, his self-awareness and his love for his family up to the very end. Just two weeks after what would have been his 68th wedding anniversary, Paul joined Anna, who passed June 1, 2017, in their happily ever after. Along with his parents, he is reunited with his siblings John Kowalchuck, Mary Urinscko, Charles Kowalchuck, Stella Markle, Pauline Maleski and baby brother Michael Kowalchuck. He is survived by his children Elizabeth (Richard) Hardway, George (Sharon) Kowalchuck, Paula (William) Zachetti; Grandchildren Michael (Noriko) Kowalchuck, Rebecca (George) Stevens, Ashlie (Jason) Walos, Rachael Hardway, Vincent Zachetti, Maria (Andre) Maldonado; and Great-Grandchildren Makoto Kowalchuck, Olivia Iachini and Aidan Walos. Friends will be received 2-6 pm Wednesday at the J. William McCauley, Jr. Funeral Home, 901 Vine St. West Newton.  Masks must be worn and social distancing be maintained.  The amount of people permitted in the funeral home at once is 40, so please limit your visit out of respect for others.   A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 am Thursday in Holy Family Church, West Newton.  Everyone is asked to meet at church.  In lieu of flowers, please hug your loved ones, make someone laugh or enjoy a good glass of wine, and when you do, think of Paul.  Condolences may be left at http://www.mccauleyfuneralhomes.com

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