Obituary of Donald E. Michalko

MICHALKO, Donald Eugene Age 52, of 709 North Henderson Road, King of Prussia, PA. He was born April 16, 1962 in Elmira, NY, son of the late Louis Michalko and Mary Helen (Sullivan) Michalko and passed away Friday, August 29, 2014, at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, after battling leukemia for 2 years. He was predeceased by his infant brother and sister Mark and Marie; and is survived by his wife of 25 years, Donna; son, Brendan Louis of Stamford, CT; daughter Mallory Rose of King of Prussia; brother and sister-in-law, Louis Charles and Patty Michalko, of Oklahoma City, OK; along with their children Stephanie Michalko of Layton, UT and Andrea (Richard) Littlecreek of Oklahoma City, OK; father-in-law and mother-in-law Eugene W. and Lynne (Freels) Buck of Horseheads; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Michael and Kim (Kirkwood) Buck of Horseheads, Diane (Buck) and Stanley Komor of Johnson City, NY along with several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins and his devoted and loving dog "Gipper". Don was a communicant of Mother of Divine Providence Church in King of Prussia, PA. He graduated in 1980 from Notre Dame High School in Elmira, NY and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN in 1984. In 2011, Don also earned his teaching certificate in secondary education for mathematics from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA. He was employed as a consulting actuary at Milliman for the past 24 years and worked in the US, Japan, and the United Kingdom, enjoying the opportunities to travel and visit several other countries. As an avid baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers fan, he enjoyed participating in a fantasy baseball league. He actively followed the Fighting Irish sports teams as a Notre Dame Alum. As a devoted husband and father, Don loved family and their annual traditions of hand cutting their Christmas tree and conquering the challenging corn maze each fall. Family and friends are invited to visit Walter J. Kent Funeral Home, 858 Lake Street, at Washington Ave., Elmira, NY, on Tuesday, September 2nd from 4-7 p.m. Prayers will be offered there on Wednesday, September 3rd at 9:30 a.m., followed by his Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am in Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Committal prayers and interment will follow in St. Peter & Paul's Cemetery. A Memorial Mass will also be celebrated on Friday, September 5th at Mother of Divine Providence Church, in King of Prussia, PA, at 10:30 a.m., preceded by an opportunity to greet the family from 9:30-10:20 a.m. In lieu of flowers, Don may be remembered through donations to a College Education Fund for his daughter Mallory at "Mallory Michalko's College Education Fund", c/o Wells Fargo Bank, 694 W. DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia, PA 19406 or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Eastern PA Chapter, 555 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.