Kathryn Kanuka Roy

Roy, Kathryn “Kay” Kanuka, cherished wife and mother passed away on March 7th, 2020 from a brief illness at the age of 98 while attempting to make it to 99. Kathryn overcame several medical obstacles along the way until the final major insult several weeks ago. The last year was kind of a bummer for Kathryn. If anyone tells you it’s great the live to almost 100, consider the lack of data to support this opinion. The end of Kathryn’s long, long life was very trying. She made it through most of her problems, just not this last one. From a cursory neurological exam, Kathryn’s last condition appeared to be result of a partial right cerebral embolic stroke and a recent association with Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s most famous disease. (Alzheimer’s disease was historically associated with only younger adults with dementia but now is more universally applied to all older affected people without age discrimination.) Born on a farm in Barto, PA on May 10th, 1921, to the surprise and irritation of her mother, Mary (Kosuch) Kanuka. The pregnancy was not a surprise to her mother, but rather it was the fact that she found herself living on a farm again after leaving the Ukraine, which was often referred to as “the old country.” Kathryn’s father, Stephen Kanuka, failed to mention to his wife that he purchased a farm and that the family was leaving Clifton Heights, PA. Stephen finally became aware that the farm idea was not a wise choice, and they all eventually returned to Clifton. Oddly enough, Kathryn’s actual name at birth was really Katie Kanuka, although her older, predeceased sister Anne (Radkowsky), decided to change her name to Kathryn during school registration, because the latter sounded better. In the 1920’s, no one cared about changing names, and it only became a problem when she attempted to get a Florida driver’s license 90 years later. Her younger predeceased sister Molly (Stevens) had no knowledge of this nefarious deed. Needless to say, it was eventually corrected with the Social Security Office and the DMV in the Sunshine State. Kathryn, or more commonly called by the nickname, Kay, attended Clifton Heights public school, where the open-minded educators coerced this young, impressionable, left-handed student to learn to write only with her right hand, because the former was considered evil, at least historically. (Ask your ophthalmologist the origin of the Latin medical terms OS and OD.) Kay’s non-dominant penmanship was truly beautiful until well into her 90’s. Kathryn only attended school up to the 10th grade, because the abbreviated education was the unfortunate convention for that time. In school she was an exceptional basketball player but had to eventually refrain from the sport due to recurrent cardiac arrhythmias which nagged her throughout her life. She must have been a very well-liked person at her school, because even though Kay never completed her education, she was invited to and attended the Clifton Heights High School 50th reunion. After the conclusion of her formal education, she became a beautician during the 30’s and 40’s. In 1947, Kay married her beloved future husband, William Roy (US Army veteran) and remained married until his death in 1989. She transitioned from beautician to master electronics assembler at Clifton Precision Products Corporation, which was a division of Litton Industries, helping to build complex electronic assemblies for communication satellites, submarines, and airplanes. Kay helped to build the original pilot’s control panel on the first Boeing 747 airplane. It is interesting that Kathryn helped to assembled parts of many orbital satellites, while her husband, William, was employed at RCA as a vibrations technician, whose profession was to simulate rocket thrust vibrational stresses upon satellites to access their limits to withstand missile engine ignition and blast off. So, she built them, and he wrecked them. Kay eventually moved to Florida after the beginning of the new millennium, probably because she got tired of shoveling snow. She had been a long-time parishioner of SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Clifton, which has since closed, having nothing to do with Kay’s departure from the state. Kay was supposed to live with her younger son and his family but decided to live in a condo across the street, because the young twins were “just too noisy.” Kathryn was survived by her two sons, William Roy Jr (Susan), grandson Adam Davies, and John Roy, MD, PhD (Doris), granddaughters Kathryn Luise Roy, Kristin Marie Roy, and grandson Nicholas John Roy. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at Williams Lombardo Funeral Home, 33 West Baltimore Pike, Clifton Heights, PA. starting at 10:30 AM (viewing), service at 11:30 AM; Interment will be at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, 1600 S. Sproul Rd., Springfield, PA. at 1:00 PM; Reception will be at Tavola Restaurant at the Springfield Country Club, 400 W. Sproul Rd., Springfield PA.at about 2:00 PM.

Kathryn Kanuka Roy

May 10, 1921 - March 7, 2020