Emil John Gecsek, 84, of Hellertown died peacefully on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. He was born in Bethlehem on April 4, 1936 to the late Philip C. and Frances (Doncsecz) Gyecsek.
He attended Liberty High School, where he excelled at football and had the nickname “Mousie’ referring to his speed and his “ability to sneak through small spaces.” He worked in the Saucon shipping yard weld bed for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation for over 44 years, retiring in 1999. He was a loving father and grandfather. During his grandchildren’s early years, he could be found playing with them while lying on the floor as they crawled all over him. He was a lifetime member of the Jefferson Democratic Club, the First Windish Fraternal Benefit Society of America and the US Steel Workers Union #2599. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bethlehem. He was an avid Penn State and Eagles fan. He will be greatly missed by his family. He was a quiet soul with a grin that would make you think he was up to something. Emil was a man who always put his family first and the love he had for his grandchildren was evident to all.
SURVIVORS
He will be remembered lovingly by wife Rena J. (Ziegler), with whom he would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary next month; children: Philip C. (Martha S.) of Bethlehem Township, Donna M. Gecsek of Hellertown, Regina E. McCormick of Hellertown; grandchildren: Sawyer Megan McCormick of Hellertown and Cullen Thomas McCormick of Savannah, Ga. He was predeceased by a granddaughter: Heather Anne Gecsek; siblings: Frank, Joseph and Dr. Edward Gecsek, Helen Kovacs, Theresa Washitza, Mary Balog and Betty DeSort.
SERVICES
Services will be held privately and at the convenience of the family. The interment will be held at Union Cemetery of Hellertown. Online expressions of sympathy can be recorded at HeintzelmanCares.com.
CONTRIBUTIONS
In lieu of flowers, should family and friends desire, contributions may be sent to VNA Hospice of St. Luke’s, 240 Station Ave., 1st Floor, Bethlehem, PA 18018 and/or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
