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In Loving Memory of WAYNE E. KUCHAR December 5, 1932 - October 15, 2002What could be better than living sixty-nine years in this great country? His wife and children.Wayne E. Kuchar, 69, a resident of Albuquerque since 1972, died on the 15th day of October, 2002 at Presbyterian Hospital after a courageous battle against malignant melanoma. Wayne is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Helen C. Kuchar; and four children, daughter, Cecile Minnich (BS, Registered Dietitian, MA Healtchcare Administration) and husband, Scott Minnich, (DDS and Col. U.S. Army, RET); grandson, Jeff of Colorado Springs, CO; son, Ken Kuchar (BSEE and Director at a major semiconductor manufacturer) and wife, Carrie; grandson, Jace of Austin, TX; son, Brian Kuchar (Best damn Delivery Driver in Albuquerque) and wife, Faith of Albuquerque, NM; and daughter, Christine Brown (MA Educational Psychology) and husband, Bill Brown (BS Archaeology) of Ann Arbor, MI. He is also survived by his brothers and their families, Ken Kuchar (BS Pharmacy) and wife, Eleanor in Ontario, CA, and their four children, Marvin Kuchar (Ph.D. in Chemistry) and wife, Unie in Provo, UT and their six children, William Kuchar, MD and wife, Cynthia Kuchar in Santa Fe, NM and two children; stepbrother, Carl Wheeler (BA Education) and wife, Verla Wheeler, in Safford, AZ and four children; stepsister, Betty Jean Lawrence (BA Education) and husband, Bud Lawrence of May's Lick, KY; first cousins, Milton Wojtylka in Casper, WY, Sister Ann, David Wojtylka in Pueblo, CO., and Anita Louise Warren of St. Johns, AZ. Wayne was born in the small mining town of Gilman, CO and spent his very early years in the mining towns of Redcliff, Telluride, Silverton and Trinidad, Co., and Ash Peak, AZ. His father, William Kuchar was appointed Deputy State Mine Inspector for Arizona and Wayne and his three surviving brothers and stepbrother and stepsister completed grade school and high school in Southern AZ then each went on to earn college degrees. Wayne has always been proud of his humble roots and upbringing where he and his brothers never learned the meaning of the word"quit". Even though their father died when they were young their mother, Katherine, worked as a cook and waitress to keep the home their dad had built and provide for their children. Wayne and his brothers worked any job available when they were growing up, from picking cotton to delivering newspapers and loading crop duster airplanes before school. After graduating from the University of California in 1958, Wayne went to work for Boeing where he worked in the design and testing of gas turbine engines. He remembers those early days where some spectacular engine failures occurred and he helped determine the failure causes and fixes. In 1961, he worked for FMC Corp., Ordnance Div. on a missile controlled launcher system. Later, one of his proudest achievements was working on the APOLLO Program where he was responsible for the structural analysis and vibration testing of the Apollo High Gain Antenna for a subcontractor to North American Aviation from 1965 through 1972. He moved to Albuquerque in 1972 to work for The BDM Corporation. At BDM he was proud to have worked with some fine people on a wide range of projects from structural analysis of EMP structures at KAFB, covert programs with the government; including the B2 Airplane, automobile air bag assembly lines, weapons analysis and testing, nuclear programs, the ARGUS Program at KAFB and others. After he retired in 1995, he pursued his favorite hobby, fly fishing, until his death. A Rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at Chapel of Sandia, 7601 Wyoming Boulevard NE. Services will be heldat 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 18, 2002 at Gate of Heaven Mausoleum Chapel, 7999 Wyoming Boulevard NE. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Melanoma Research Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by patients and their families. Arrangements are by Sandia Funeral Care, 7601 Wyoming Boulevard NE, 821-0010.
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