Edward Warsyk Jr., 79, Was Veteran, Engineer
Edward Anthony Warsyk Jr. died on Monday, April 22, after a long
battle with prostate cancer. He was courageous to the end. During the 30
years that he lived on the Vineyard, many Islanders sought his help in
the many areas of his expertise.
Mr. Warsyk was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 28, 1923. He survived
his parents, Edward and Helen Warshyk, and his three sisters, Geraldine
Wise, Connie Schou and Lynn Jansen, all of Florida. He attended Brooklyn
Technical High School and later worked in the research lab of the Sperry
Corporation, which is where his passion for engineering began.
He met his future wife, Barbara Nelson, on August 3, 1941 after he
and his cousin showed up unexpectedly at a mutual friend’s house
and quickly put out a small fire burning from under the dashboard. They
then drove in the Ford convertible, from Brooklyn to Massapequa for ice
cream. They fell in love and were married 18 months later. They shared
their 59th anniversary on Feb. 21. The couple has three children,
Jacqueline Parnell of South Setauket N.Y., Jeraldine Upson of Rehoboth
and Christine Scott of Vineyard Haven, and seven grandchildren.
Ed was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, and served as an
infantryman in the European Theatre of Operations with the 83rd
Division. He saw action from the closing phases of the Battle of the
Bulge through Central Rhineland, to the end of the war, when his
regiment was one of the first to link up with the Russian Army at the
Elbe River. Until his discharge in 1946 he served as an Army
photographer in Austria documenting the war’s aftermath.
His career was long and varied, from being plant manager to owning
several engineering companies on Long Island, the first being EMCO
(Electro Mechanical Components), which during the Korean War was busy
with subcontracting government jobs and the design and manufacture of
complex instruments such as angle-of-attack indicators and vertical
altimeters for airplanes and special air conditioning systems for
fighter planes. Another of Mr. Warsyk’s companies was Space
Components. He especially liked the design and prototype work. Among
other instruments, he designed and produced small gyroscopes and
inertial guidance systems for the U.S. space program and an apparatus to
assist surgeons performing skin grafts.
He was always generating inventions; he had a side business that
sold telescoping outriggers of his design that could be articulated
through two 180-degree planes.
After the sale of his last company in which he was involved in the
early development of the first automatic lathes and drill presses, Ed
and his wife, Barbara, left Long Island for Martha’s Vineyard in
1970. He moved with ease into the next phase of his career, building two
custom homes, distinct in their style. They were warm and woody, and Ed
built the fireplaces with fieldstone and brick by hand.
He then scaled down his construction work and a started another
small business building customized dental cabinetry. His woodworking
abilities were recognized by many Islanders who wanted his special touch
and unique style for their homes. All of his work was met with
tolerances of a micrometer. He was also employed by R.M. Packer Company
in Vineyard Haven, where he worked on various engineering and building
projects.
Boating was his pastime; it is actually how he and Barbara first
came to love Martha’s Vineyard, vacationing for many summers at
the Coastwise Wharf. In his lifetime, Ed proudly owned five separate
boats. His favorite was a custom-built 47-foot Wheeler which they named
Solitaire. His latest was an easily identified 21-foot Boston Whaler in
the Vineyard Haven harbor called the Snafu, which he customized to look
like a miniature sport fishing boat, complete with a tuna tower and dual
controls. He designed and built all of the added bridgework, pulpit,
console and electronics. He could be spotted fishing for bluefish in
Middle Ground most summer days. This boat was docked in the Lagoon just
outside his boathouse home on Beach Rd where he and his wife lived for
28 years.
Ed Warsyk’s shop on the first floor of the boathouse was a
busy place. He was a walking encyclopedia of information; his expertise
with engineering, metal, and his woodworking skills were shared with the
many friends and clients who sought his help. It was no surprise to
anybody who knew Ed that he could restore or repair anything with
generosity and perfection.
His ability to tell a story was renowned and will long be remembered
by the regulars at the Black Dog Tavern, where he entertained the
regulars for more than 25 years during every breakfast and lunch. He was
a familiar face sitting at the table by the fire. A bronze plaque of a
BLT sandwich and coffee mug hangs on the wall next to his table. It
honors a flawless attendance record and patriarchal duties as well.
His family and friend’s will miss seeing Ed driving his 1973
Land Rover, wearing his habitual Ray-Bans and navy blue cap.
Surviving him are his wife, Barbara; his family, Jacqueline and
Buddy Parnell, Jeraldine and Dickinson Upson and Christine and Bruce
Scott; and grandchildren Karen Parnell, Brad Parnell, David Parnell and
Sarah Parnell, Katlin Upson and Brooke Upson and Benjamin Scott.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on May 25 at the boathouse
on Beach Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice,
Windemere or Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Inc.