Benedict Jirik

Benedict J. Jirik, age 80 of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away Monday, October 24, 2011 at the Carolyn Croxton Slane Hospice Residene in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 a.m. Friday, November 4 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Sauk Centre. Reverend Todd Schneider will officiate with inurnment following in the parish cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the Sauk Centre United Honor Guard.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and one hour prior to the service at church on Friday. The Knights of Columbus will pray the rosary at 6:30 p.m. followed by parish prayers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home.

Benedict Joseph Jirik was born March 31, 1931, on a farm in Rosedale Township, Mahnomen County, Minnesota to James A. and Mary J. (Stolka) Jirik. Ben attended a one room country school in Rosedale Township. In 1948, at the age of seventeen, after his junior year at Mahnomen High School, he joined the Navy serving as a yeoman in the Chaplain's Office and a Gunners Mate on the USS Salem. After his discharge in 1952, Ben attended the trade school, Dunwoody Institute, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1954 to 1995 Ben worked as an instrumentation/electronic technician at the following nuclear plants, Hanford Washington, Three Mile Island Pennsylvania, Palo Verde Arizona, and Seabrook New Hampshire. He retired in 1995 to Richland WA, but continued working two outages a year at various nuclear plants throughout the country, during their shutdown and refueling process. Ben loved his faith and was a devoted and active member of his church. He was a life time 4th degree Knights of Columbus member and also volunteered at the local food bank. He enjoyed traveling, camping, square dancing, a good polka, and playing card games especially pinochle and cribbage. In 2007 when Alzheimer's slowed him down, he and his wife moved to Harrisburg to be closer to family.

Ben is survived by his loving and devoted wife Donna M. Kennedy Jirik, with whom he would have celebrated 57 years of marriage on Tuesday October 25, 2011; daughter, Renee (Michael) Cichy of Harrisburg, Pennsylvaina; grandson, Matthew Cichy of Harrisburg; three granddaughters, Jessica (Scott) Muir of Downers Grove Illinois, Erica (Steven) Weis of Middle River Maryland, and Jamie Cichy of Harrisburg; three great grandchildren, Bryan Cichy, Michael Muir, and Katherine Muir; three sisters, Julia (Omar) Krautkremer of New Prague, Agnes (Delmar) Dobmeyer of Alexandria, and Victorine McGuire of Elburn, Illinois; two brothers, Albert Jirik of Mahnomen and Frank (Marie) Jirik of Fisher; brother-in-law, Walter (Ruth) Piechowski of St. Paul; sister-in-law, Luella Jirik of Mahnomen; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death his son, James Patrick Jirik; parents, James and Mary Jirik; three sisters, Josephine Kochmann, Frances Simon, and Mary Ann Piechowski; and one brother, Alois Jirik.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to: Hospice of Central Pennsylvania, 1320 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17110 or The Alzheimer's Association, 3544 N. Progress Ave Suite 205, Harrisburg, PA 17110.