Obituary of Stephen Vincent Konopke

Stephen Vincent Konopke, Sr. December 3, 2015 Stephen Vincent Konopke, Sr., 74, of Luzerne passed away on Thursday at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Born in Luzerne, Steve was the son of the late Walter and Stella Pickarski Konopke. After graduation from Luzerne High School, he entered into the United States Navy, attaining the rank of Aviation Machinist Mate E5. He completed his service with deployments on the USS Shangri-La and the USS Lexington. He was then employed as chief inspector for Wipco of Swoyersville, until his retirement. Steve was a member of the Holy Family Parish, Luzerne; Disabled American Veterans Post 102, Kingston; American Legion Post 644, Swoyersville; V.F.W. Post 384, New Albany.; and the Long Valley Gun Club, Dushore. He enjoyed giving his time at the VA, often with his dog Bo, and the St. Vincent DePaul Kitchen, where he was honored as the 2015 Volunteer of the Year. He had a passion for fishing, hunting, and his grandchildren. Surviving is his wife the former Patricia Novis; son Stephen Konopke, Jr. and wife Maria, Kingston; son Robert Konopke, Luzerne; daughter Kimberly Czajkowski and husband George, Kingston; grandchildren, Lauren and Zachary Konopke, Joseph Konopke, Jackson and Jillian Czajkowski. Sisters, Jean Yablonski, Tunkhannock; Marcella Konopke and Florence Konopke, both of Dallas; brother, Walter Konopke and wife Marlene, Noxen; nieces and nephews. Funeral will be on Tuesday at 9:30 am from the Betz-Jastremski Funeral Home, Inc. 568 Bennett St. Luzerne, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in Holy Family Parish, Luzerne, with Msgr. Joseph Kelly officiating. Interment will be in St. Ann Cemetery, Lehman. Viewing will be on Monday from 5-8 pm at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen, 39 E. Jackson St, Wilkes-Barre.