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Mickey V Vitkay
Mickey V. Vitkay, 91, of Bairdford, West Deer Township, passed away Saturday,
February 27, 2016.
He was born October 7, 1924, in Iselin, Young Township.
During his youth, Mickey played shortstop and played along his brother "Joe" for
"Mr. Hedding's Tri County Men's Baseball League" of the Rochester & Pittsburgh
Coal Co., Indiana County. This team also played in Allegheny, Butler and
Westmoreland Counties. Baseball provided a great network for Mickey and he loved
it.
He liked telling friends about the Major Leaguers he met in the Army and that he
was once was invited to MLB's St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training camp to try
out.
Mickey was a graduate of Elders Ridge High School, Class of 1942.
He served his country in the Army, including a tour in Egypt. He received the
World War II Victory Medal and two Bronze Stars Medals for his service with the
320th Army Ordnance Co. in Northern France and in Rhineland.
Mickey received his Bachelor of Science in education from Pitt in 1955 and later
his Master's degree equivalency from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate
School of Administration.
He taught for 32 years before he retired from Deer Lakes School District in
1988. Mickey taught Science and was a baseball and golf coach.
He was part of the faculty of Worthington-West Franklin High School for the
1955-1956 and 1956-1957 school years.
For more than 20 years, Mickey served as president of Frontier Fabricators Inc.,
Rural Ridge, which had subsidiaries. Frontier provided opportunities to
collaborate with its neighbors and student work-study opportunities that led to
jobs in metal fabrications. Frontier was also known for its "Kwik-Hot-Kit", a
patented combined camping stove and hot water heater.
Most of all, Mickey was interested in creating jobs and did that well through
the development of the Frontier Industrial Park in West Deer Township. He was
thankful for the development opportunities West Deer Township provided.
Mickey loved to bowl and golf with his co-workers and West Deer neighbors. He
spent a few retirement years making new friends as a driver for the Butler Auto
Auction, Zelienople, and as a member of the North Pittsburgh Moose Lodge No. 46,
Shaler Township. Mickey is a member of St. Victor Parish, Bairdford, where he
married his sweetheart Veronica in 1954 and in the 60's he enjoyed being
chairman of "St. Victor Parish Fall Festival Week".
Surviving Mickey are his children, Monica J. Vitkay, at home, Carol L. Vitkay,
of Beverly Hills, Calif., and Terence C. Vitkay, of Anaheim Hills, Calif.; his
grandchildren, Melissa Vitkay (Keith) Matt, Erica Hibner, Ian M. Vitkay, Lukas
T. Vitkay; and his great grand-children, Stella L. Matt and Piper E. Matt.
Mickey was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elisabeth (Urban) Vitkay;
four brothers and a sister; his wife of 62 years, Veronica M. Vitkay, and he and
Veronica's two sons, infant Lawrence Vitkay, and Michael G. Vitkay, who died at
age 49.
Friends will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the SIWICKI-YANICKO
FUNERAL HOME, 23 McKrell Road, Russellton, West Deer Township, where parting
prayers will be conducted at 1 p.m. Thursday with a Catholic funeral Mass
following in St. Victor Church, Bairdford, West Deer Township, with the Rev.
Charles Speicher, officiating.
He will be laid to rest next to his wife in Lakewood Memorial Gardens, Indiana
Township, Cheswick, Pa.
Arrangements by Siwicki-Yanicko Funeral Home, Russelton, Pa. |
