Emil J. Nekoranik

Emil J. Nekoranik passed away on June 8, 2020 at Chandler Hall in Newtown at the age of 92. Emil was born on March 11, 1928 to Adam Nekoranik and Maria Gazak Nekoranik in Philadelphia. He attended St. Agnes church and school and Roman Catholic High School. At graduation he was awarded a full scholarship to Villanova University where he got his B.S. in Economics in 1950. He was drafted into the Army and served in occupied Germany where he was also on the track team.

He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Johanna Komada, Adam, John and Paul, and by his infant son Michael.

When Emil was younger, he was a very active member of the Slovak Catholic Sokols (SCS) and competed in the sprint, the discus and long jump. He was also a very good basketball player, which he played until he was in his 40’s. It was through SCS that he met his wife of 65 years, Rita Maslar. They married in 1955. He was most proud of his sons, John (Amy) and Paul (Marjorie) and his daughters Maria (Dan), Teresa (Mike), Annette (Jim), Sophia and Rachel (Tony). He dearly loved his grandchildren - Sarah (Tim), Emily (Rich), Ethan (Ashley), Petra and Penelope, and his great grandchildren – Julia, Sean, Michaela, Grace, Molly and Paige.

Emil worked in Production Planning at Fairless Works for 40 years. He lived in Philadelphia until 1960 when he moved to Morrisville. He enjoyed being so close to work, church and the pool.

Emil joined Christian Family Movement (CFM) and became active in many social causes of the 60's. He arranged ball games for migrant workers and planned daylong workshops for Marriage Encounter, civil rights and other pertinent issues. He forged lifelong friendships with other families in CFM. He had an open door for kids in the neighborhood and for many people including his father, his brother, brother-in-law and his mother-in-law. He had a great sense of humor and a tremendous vocabulary. He was very knowledgeable in all kinds of history, but especially about the World Wars. He loved to discuss history, other cultures and languages, and was fluent in Slovak, German and Spanish. He went to Slovakia with his cousin Joe in 2003 where they visited relatives in the village where his family had lived. He loved to travel, especially to London to visit his son and his family.

Emil moved to Yardley in 1978, enjoying his commute to work along the Delaware River. He retired in 1995 and began dancing lessons. He and Rita enjoyed dancing in many different venues and made many “dance” friends. He was a talented dancer and especially loved the many formal dances they attended. They moved to Avenrowe in Fairless Hills in 2020 and found another community of friends.

The family requests no flowers or donations. When appropriate,
There will be a luncheon to grieve together and share memories of Emil.