Obituary of Richard George Szmolko , 76

Richard “Rich” George Szmolko, 76, of State College, died Tuesday, November 18, 2014, at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

Born September 15, 1938, in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Robert Szmolko and Mary Anne Szmolko. During his childhood, the Szmolko family ran a successful antique business in Doylestown. After the passing of both parents, Richard’s brother Howard Szmolko continued managing the business.

Richard went to school in Philadelphia. In 1954, he joined the U.S. Naval Air Forces where he spent several years engaged in active duty and traveling overseas. One place in particular, that he was stationed at, the Philippines, left a great impression on him. Years later he would reminisce about the beautiful beaches and the friendly culture. In the mid-90’s he visited these beaches again on a vacation. After leaving the military, he held civilian jobs with Lockheed Martin and Boeing Aircraft as an engineer. He is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in mechanical engineering.

He married Kathleen Marie Taylor in 1970 and had three daughters, Christine, Kelly and Mary. They divorced in 1986.

Over the years, while working in the military, his hobby of fixing mechanical components and appliances at home and for friends led him to consider starting his own appliance repair business. He loved the town of State College, after visiting a friend, and in 1985 he settled with his family in Happy Valley and opened Rich‘s Appliance. During the early years of the business, he attended Penn State University from 1985 to 1988 to enhance his graduate school education and complete certification in specialty areas required for the business. He is a member of a forum on AppliancePartsPros.com where he spent countless hours giving technical advice on appliance repair.

Richard was a member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. He was an active member in the church community. He played guitar in the choir. For several years he taught high school Sunday school classes. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and volunteered at Penn State football home games in a fund-raising concession stand ran by the Knights of Columbus.

On August 15, 2005, he married Huijun Liu, who survives. She is also an active member of Our Lady of Victory Church and enjoys singing in the choir.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three daughters, Christine M. Applebee and her husband, Mike, of Middlebury Center, Kelly A. Szmolko and Mary C. Szmolko, both of Boalsburg; one step-daughter, Yuxin Shi of State College; one brother, Howard Szmolko and his wife, Angelina, of Lahaska and one granddaughter, Tiffany Applebee, of Middlebury Center.

A visitation gathering will be from 6 until 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 South Atherton Street, State College.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 24, 2014 at Our Lady of Victory with Reverend Neil Dadey officiating.

Burial will be in Graysville Cemetery, located in Pine Grove Mills.

Memorial contributions may be made, in his name, to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society here: www.lls.org.

Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.