Donald C Wukich

Donald C. "Dush" Wukich, of Center Township, formerly of Turtle Creek, passed away peacefully at home on Father's Day, June 21, 2015. Don is survived by his wife of 69 years, Lillian (Felt), who was his great companion. He is also survived by three children, Don (Adrian), Dr. Dane (Beverly) and Darcey Suder (Dr. Robert); seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was anticipating the arrival of his ninth great-grandchild in August. Don was born to Uros and Marica (Stojanovich) on July 3, 1922, in Turtle Creek. His Serbian parents had their roots in the Krajina region of modern day Croatia, which prior to World War I was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father's family name was originally Vukic (family of Wolves), but was Germanized to Wukich by the Austro-Hungarian occupants. Don graduated from Turtle Creek High School at the age of 16, and was not permitted to work in the local factories due to his age. He traveled to Montana and worked on a cattle ranch owned by his mother's cousin. Subsequently, he began working at Westinghouse Electric as a machinist apprentice once he turned 18. In 1956, after five years of night school, he graduated from Westinghouse Technical School and began his career in the Switchgear Division at Westinghouse, retiring in 1982. His father died of a stroke when Don was 21 and he assumed the role as "man of the house" for his 37-year-old widowed mother and two younger sisters. This role persisted for his entire life as he and his wife, Lillian, raised their three children in the same house with Don's mother, sister Christina and sister Melva, all residing under one roof. The first night Don and Lillian spent alone as a married couple was after 57 years of marriage (in 2003) when his mother died in their house at the age of 97. Both sisters had predeceased Don. A younger brother, Nicholas, also died at the age of 4 years. Don was passionate about education and athletics. He served a combined 110 years on various school boards, including 40 continuous years on the Woodland Hills School Board and its predecessors. Don was passionate about educating not only future academic leaders but also those who wanted to learn a trade. He was a founding board member of Forbes Road Vocational School in Monroeville (now known as Forbes Road Career and Technology Center) and served on its board from 1967-2001. He served on the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Board from 1978-2001 and as the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf's representative to the WPIAL from 1988-2001. He was appointed to serve on the Turtle Creek School Board in 1961 after the death of a member. In 1971, Turtle Creek merged with East Pittsburgh and Don became the president of that board. In 1981, under the mandate of a federal judge to resolve a federal racial discrimination suit, Woodland Hills was created by merging the communities of Turtle Creek, East Pittsburgh, Braddock, Rankin, North Braddock, Churchill, Edgewood and Swissvale. Don used to remark that the initial years of that merger were "chaos" since there were 45 directors representing the eight communities and five school districts. This controversial merger brought together diverse socioeconomic groups that resulted in many challenges. Early on, Don assumed a leadership role at Woodland Hills, eventually becoming president of Woodland Hills School Board. Despite the heterogeneity of that school district, a unifying force that propelled the district forward was the Woodland Hills Football Team. Don was especially proud to have played a role in attracting George Novak to become the first and only coach at Woodland Hills. Don took great pride in the accomplishments of the players, both on and off of the field, and all of the communities rallied around "Woody High" despite the dire economic situation created by losing so many jobs at U.S. Steel, Westinghouse Electric, Westinghouse Air Brake and Union Railroad. In 2001, U.S. News and World Report interviewed Don about the history of "The Wolverena," as the magazine was writing a story about the 10 greatest places in the U.S. to watch a high school football game. When Don retired from active board service in 2001, friends and family endowed a scholarship in his honor at Woodland Hills through its academic foundation. Don loved to referee football and basketball, and in 1957 he became a member of the West Penn Football Officials. During his time as a WPIAL official, he was proud to say that he refereed games featuring local great high school players such as Joe Namath, Terry Hanratty, Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana and Dan Marino. His tenure as a high school referee coincided with the great run in WPIAL athletics. His passion for education was passed on to all three of his children. Eldest son Don retired as chief financial officer for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit after 40 years of service to the county schools. Dane is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Darcey is a teacher in the Central Valley School District. In addition, Don's wife, Lillian, dedicated her working years to children with special needs at the former Eastern Area School in Churchill. Don was an Army veteran and was medically retired from active duty in 1944 during World War II. Although he was not a wealthy man, he was one of the richest men as he leaves a priceless inheritance to his family. He taught his family the importance of integrity, a strong work ethic, accepting responsibility and most importantly, altruism. He was the consummate family man, and these values will live on through his family. During his retirement celebration in 2001, the executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit stated, "It is indeed rare for an individual to devote so many years of his life to such demanding public service for children and their education. Don is the quintessence of volunteerism." Don was a lifelong member of St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville until he and his wife moved to Center Township in 2001 to be near their daughter. Since then they have been members of St. Elijah Parish in Aliquippa. Don was also a member of the Serbian National Federation and the Croatian Fraternal Union. Family and friends will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, with a Pomen service at 7:30 p.m., in the ALFIERI FUNERAL HOME INC., 201 Marguerite Ave., Wilmerding, PA 15148, 412-824-4332. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church, 2110 Haymaker Road, Monroeville, PA 15146, with the Rev. D.C. Malich officiating. Please go directly to the church on Saturday. Burial will follow in Grandview Cemetery with military honors. Donations may be made on Don's behalf to the Woodland Hills Academic Foundation. 

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