Known to his family as “Zeda”
John P. Elcik, Jr., known affectionately within his family as “Zeda,” died on March 31, 1963, in Lewiston, Maine, at the age of sixty-seven, following a brief illness. A lifelong resident of Androscoggin County, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose life was defined by steady work, family responsibility, and quiet perseverance.
John was born on February 16, 1896, in Durham, Maine, the son of John Elcik, Sr. and Mary (Balas/Pelcarsky) Elcik. He was raised in a large family and spent most of his life in Lisbon Falls, where he established his own household and raised his children.
He married Mary A. Gertrude Byras on June 11, 1918. Together they raised six children and shared more than thirty years of marriage until her death in 1951. In 1959, John married Helen Barbara Kozak, who survived him.
John was a veteran of World War I and worked for over forty years at the local paper company, retiring shortly before his death. His working life reflected the endurance and reliability common to Maine’s mill communities of the early twentieth century.
He was the father of Madeline Elcik Lucas; Gertrude Dorothy Elcik (Gamache); Mary D. Elcik (Plourde); Eleanor H. Elcik; John P. Elcik III; and Richard A. Elcik, and the grandfather of many grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at St. Cyril and Methodius Church in Lisbon Falls, with burial at St. Cyril Cemetery.
Sources
- Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine), April 2, 1963.
- Find A Grave Memorial ID 63468581.
- Ancestry.com compiled records and census data.