Slavonic – 101 years
Andrew E. Slavonic celebrated his 101st birthday Dec. 1 surrounded by family.
Andrew was born on Dec. 1, 1917, in Pittsburgh. He celebrated 47 years of marriage with his wife Patricia until her passing in 2005. The couple lived in Whitehall until they moved to McMurray, where Mr. Slavonic still resides.
He has two children, Bob Slavonic and Sue Melzer, along with grandchildren Jason and Jamie Melzer.
Mr. Slavonic graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1934 and began working at a local machining company. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps serving as a nose gunner on the B-24 Liberator and top turret gunner on the B17 Flying Fortress. He also trained new pilots who were transitioning from two-engine to four-engine planes. After the military, he began working sales for local steel companies while attending night school at the University of Pittsburgh. He retired from Allegheny Ludlum in Washington in 1996.
Mr. Slavonic is still able to get around on his own and take care of himself. The family gathers for weekly dinners, which Mr. Slavonic cooked on his own until two years ago when his son moved back from Texas.