John Dananay

John Dananay, 89, of New Kensington, passed away Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at the H. J. Heinz Community Living Center in Pittsburgh. He was born Feb. 1, 1928, in Arnold, to the late Frank and Maria Abelovsky Dananay. John was employed by Westinghouse in Cheswick for 35 years, until his retirement in 1993. Before that, he was a mail carrier for the New Kensington Post Office. The day after John turned 18, he enlisted in the Navy to serve during World War II. An aviation electrician's mate, his citations upon discharge were the World War II Victory Medal and the American Campaign Medal. Over the years, John had a variety of interests and enjoyed learning new skills. Some of his favorite activities were woodworking, playing cards, fishing, and taking road trips. He also was an amateur photographer and had his own darkroom. More recently, one of his favorite pastimes was working puzzles - crossword, Sudoku, or Numbrix. A longtime sports fan, he would root for his favorite teams, the Steelers and the Penguins. John became a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 92, in 2002 and was a former member of the New Kensington Eagles. He served as president of the New Kensington Civil Defense Police circa 1958. John will be dearly missed by so many people, especially his daughter, Karen Dananay, of Mechanicsburg. He was preceded in death in 1997 by his wife of 45 years, Violet Lacinski Dananay, with whom he shared life's adventures. John also was preceded in death by five brothers, Andrew, Paul, Joseph, Frank, and Emil. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by nieces, nephews, and friends, who were like family to him. Arrangements are private and entrusted to RJ SLATER IV FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICE (724-335-0100), New Kensington. Interment will take place in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.