 |
Jean Jolkovski Phoenix, AZ QCWA # 33536 Chapter 16 |
JEAN JOLKOVSKI
It is with great sadness that the Jolkovski family announces the passing of Jean Jolkovski, age 94, on April 10, 2021, surrounded by family at his Phoenix, AZ home. Mr. Jolkovski was born September 18, 1926, in New York, NY, the oldest of three boys in his family. Bronx Science High School provided Jean with radio and pre-engineering skills that he perfected throughout his life. He proudly served in the US Army in the Pacific during WWII and graduated from Ohio University in 1951. Jean later worked in Greenland as a radio operator and engineer. Mr. Jolkovski moved to Arlington, VA, where he was a long-time resident of Arlington with his first wife of 51 years, Shirley Phillips Jolkovski (deceased) and three children. Jean earned his MSA in Government Contracts and worked as an engineer with various companies culminating with the origin of his own business, The Jay Company, in Arlington, VA.
Mr. Jolkovski is survived by his second wife, Barbara Breitenbach Jolkovski of Phoenix, AZ; two brothers, Robert Millikan Jolkovski, and David Jolkovski, daughter, Kaye J. D'Angio (Robert), two sons, Clark Jolkovski (Linda) and Michael Jolkovski (Martha), stepsons, Ross Breitenbach and Lon Breitenbach, and grandchildren, Christine D'Angio (William Horwitz), Phillip D'Angio (Elizabeth), Emily Jolkovski, David Jolkovski (Allison), and six great-grandchildren. Grandson Patrick Jolkovski (deceased).
Mr. Jolkovski was an avid ham operator throughout his entire life and maintained his radio license (W4CIH) until the very end. He volunteered at the Arizona Science Center's Ham Radio Shack, where he enjoyed sharing his love of amateur radio with visitors. He also served as a mentor with SCORE and assisted small business entrepreneurs. He made numerous friends during his retirement in the Phoenix area.
No services are planned.
To plant trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.
Published by The Washington Post on May 9, 2021.
Jean Jolkovski - W4CIH
1926 - 2021 Jean Jolkovski, W4CIH, became a silent key on April 10, 2021. A fifteen year volunteer with the Harkins Ham Shack at Arizona Science Center, he was a beloved member of the Center for Amateur Radio Learning. His quick wit and congenial personality will be missed by all. In his own words (edited for brevity), his entry into amateur radio and his long career as an electrical engineer began inauspiciously as a child laborer on a farm during WWII.
"When I graduated High School I was too young to enter military service. The Child Labor laws would not allow me to be employed in business or industry. The labor laws did have an exception - agriculture! Farmers were hurting for help. This city boy learned how to milk a cow, by hand. Harness a team of horses. Plow a field with a really old tractor. Cut firewood for the farmer's kitchen cook stove. Load hay, or other crops, onto a horse-drawn wagon.
At age 18 I joined the Army and was trained then whisked off to the war in the Pacific. The Army taught me many things, but few, if any, of them were useful in a non-military environment. There were millions of us who had survived the war, but had nowhere to turn for a living. My Morse code speed was impressive, but telegraph operators were not being used in serious numbers.
One day, while at home on a weekend, I was building my first Ham transmitter with the radio tuned to a local station. An ad came on from the Veteran's Administration. This ad advised me that I could, if I was eligible by length of service, go to college at government expense. I unplugged my soldering iron and took notes. I found my discharge and headed to the VA offices in order to take the first step in the process. I had attended a very good High School and had no problems in College. I was awarded a BSEE in due time and went right to work. I have never milked a cow or pitched any hay since then."
From that humble beginning on the farm, Jean became an heir of the legacy coming out of WWII and freely gave back to society what he had reaped from the GI Bill. An ever grateful man, he joked that he had not seen one day of unemployment nor had he failed to pay income taxes any year of his adult life.
73 W4CIH HPE CU AGN
