David Komarnicki
David Komarnicki, of Chester, died on January 4, after reaching a milestone 90th birthday in September, and celebrating 44 blessed years of marriage with his wife, Leslie, the week before Christmas.
David was the eighth of 10 children born to Ukrainian immigrants Joseph and Anna Komarnicki. Six of his seven brothers preceded him in death: Michael, John, James, George, Joseph, and Paul. A seventh, Daniel, is living in Florida. His two sisters, Mary and Victoria, were also waiting for David when he arrived in heaven.
After graduating from Philadelphia Bible College, the King’s College, and Reformed Episcopal Seminary, David enjoyed careers as a public-school teacher in Southern California, a regional trainer with a large insurance and equities firm in Century City, California, and owner of a securities and insurance training business in Los Angeles.
David, Leslie, and their daughters moved from California back to David’s roots in Pennsylvania in 1986. In 2017, David published a book, “Five Stars in the Window: Growing Up During World War II,” and immediately went on a local lecture tour, delighting audiences at Delaware County libraries and veterans’ organizations with stories from his childhood in the “patchwork quilt” of Chester’s ethnic neighborhoods. He also taught a course in memoir writing at Neumann College, encouraging others to write their own stories. David was a people person who made everyone feel better for having met him.
Another special enthusiasm of David’s was the ministry he and Leslie established 30 years ago, whereby they produced laminated cards with the text of the Apostles Creed on the front and the text of John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10 on the back. These cards were available in 95 languages and were distributed around the world as a simple way of sending a message of hope and faith to nonbelievers.
David is survived by four children, Joseph (Linda) of Huntington Beach, California, David of Vancouver, Washington, Elizabeth of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Amy (Blake Darlin) of Media. He was predeceased by an infant daughter, Jennifer, and a stepdaughter, Vanessa Fisher-Phillips. He also leaves behind 10 grandchildren: Jenna, Mia, Madison, John, Eli, David, Faith, Cohen, Bernie, and Evie.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Save a Life International, 1230 Glenburnie Lane, Dresher, PA 19025. The mission statement of this organization can be found at savealifeintl.org.
A memorial service will be held when it becomes safe for people to gather again.
