Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. William Mischak, 91, died Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at Sentara Hospice House. He was born in Edwardsville, Pa., to the late Paul and Mary Mischak.
After graduating from Edwardsville High School in 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic training at Camp Davis, N.C., he was promoted to sergeant, selected for OCS and commissioned as a second lieutenant.
Released from active service in 1946, he attended the Chicago College of Podiatry and Pedic Surgery and earned a doctor’s degree (DSP). He was then recalled to active duty in 1951, sent to Korea, and after that tour, decided to make the military his career.
He served a total of 21 years as an artilleryman, with a brief assignment in military intelligence. His final assignment was with the Army ROTC at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Active duty included World War II, Korea and the Cold War in Germany. Bill retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After military retirement in 1969, he started a second career in public education. He was a teacher, department chairman and principal at Mundelein High School. He recieved education credentials from the University of Michigan, B.A. (history, government and Russian) and an M.A. in education from Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill. He retired from public education in 1994.
Bill and Marjorie moved to Virginia Beach in 2007 from Phoenix, Ariz. Bill was a master Mason and a Shriner, a member of Union Park Lodge No. 610 A.F.&A.M. and Medina Temple, both of Chicago. He was an active member of Virginia Beach United Methodist Church, Military Officers Association of America, American Legion and Disabled Veterans of America. He was a docent at the Military Aviation Museum in Pongo. A firm believer in physical fitness, he supported related activities and was a dedicated golfer.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; three children from a previous marriage, Ruth Baumgardner (Charles) of Hampton, William A. Mischak of Chicago, Ill., and Marie Szeliga (Michael) of Wheaton, Ill.; five grandchildren, Ellen Hembree (Brandon), Emily Blackburn (Andrew) and Evelyn Baumgardner and Mary and Ann Szeliga; great-grandchild, Ezekiel Hembree; two stepchildren, Donna Juselis of Walnut Grove, N.C., and Scott Lukach of Antioch, Ill.; and sister, Helen Kobusky of Edwardsville, Pa.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20, at Virginia Beach United Methodist Church with the Rev. Ralph Rowley officiating. Burial will be in Albert Horton Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675; Atlantic Shores Employee Gift Fund; or to the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church.
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