Bob Koucky

Robert Bob Willis Koucky, 81, of West Hartford, CT, died peacefully on February 12, 2011. He was born in Oak Park, IL on January 7, 1930 to Helen and Joseph Koucky. He attended Morton High School in Cicero, IL where he was a trombone player in the school band. He graduated from the University of Illinois, and then earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1955. Bob married Jane Andrews, and they raised four children. He worked at Avco in the Boston area, and then moved to Connecticut where he worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, and then Combustion Engineering as Project Manager on a coal gasification project. Family activities were a joy for him, especially skiing at Mad River Glen in Vermont and sailing on Capricorn in Fisher's Island Sound. He continued to enjoy these outdoor activities until his last years. For many years, he and his family summered at Point-O-Woods in Old Lyme. He loved family gatherings and gardening. His children carry this love for the outdoors into their own family lives. Later in life, he also enjoyed many activities with his beloved friend Patricia Meyer, DVM, of New Haven, CT. They enjoyed skiing at Killington, Vermont. He was a member of the New Haven Ski Club, the Hartford Ski Club, the Baldwin Yacht Club, and the Mystic River Mud Heads. He will be missed by his children, Elizabeth Tonge, of Rome, ME, Eleanor Koucky Pacheco in Costa Rica, William Koucky of Montpelier, VT, and Ann Willis Koucky, of Portland, OR. He was proud of his ten grandchildren Tomas, Roberto, Andrew, Abigail, Katherine, Violeta, Owen, Calvin, Matthew, Leah and one great granddaughter, Victoria. His sister, Marilyn Meyer and brother Joseph Koucky, sister-in-law Margaret Koucky, nieces Peggie Meyer and Ellen Koucky and nephew Daniel Koucky also survive him. Funeral services will be Friday, Feb. 18th at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, beginning with visitation at 11:00 a.m. and followed by a Memorial Service at 11:30 a.m. Donations in his memory may be made to a charity of the donor?s choice. Online remembrances may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com

Bob Koucky

January 7, 1930 - February 12, 2011