John Gerald Gavlick

John G. Gavlick April 5, 1917 to February 2, 2015 John Gerald Gavlick, age 97, of Dushore and Lopez, the last surviving child of the late John Gavlick and Agnes Stabniaczka Gavlick passed away quietly on February 2, 2015 at Towanda Memorial Hospital, Towanda Pennsylvania. He was predeceased by his wife, Antonia Tabor Gavlick in 1998, and his son, John Gary Gavlick in 2009. He will be greatly missed by his remaining family: daughter, Mary Christine Swan, her son Brent, granddaughter Audrey Ann Swan. Marion Gavlick, wife of deceased John Gary Gavlick, his sons: John, wife Nancy, their children, John and Harley; Christopher, wife Maria, children Olivia and Evan; Stephen, wife Marielia, children Elizabeth and Nathan. Born in Lopez, Pa. on April 5, 2017, John was the youngest of 6 surviving children; Elizabeth, Marion, Andrew, Joseph (Gene), Josephine and John. Among the first settling families of the town, Lopez at that time had wooden boardwalks and no paved streets, the multi-talented elder John worked as a contractor and built many of the structures there and in the surrounding villages. John was a true outdoors man and avid sportsman; he fished, hunted, trapped, skied, swam in lakes rivers and oceans, ice skated, gardened, hiked and explored nature everywhere he could. His goal was to be outdoors to "breathe some fresh air" every day, rain or shine in all four seasons. In later years his failing eyesight didn't deter him from walking all throughout Dushore, where he had enjoyed being part of the community for over a decade and where it is said that "he never met a stranger" he was always friendly and jovial with a quick wit and sharp mind. John served proudly in The United States Navy during WWII. He learned several trades on the GI bill and used the skills of barbering and woodworking/furniture making all of his life, as a hobby or to help others. As a master trapper his preserved Coyote is still on display at ACE Hardware. He developed his own formulas for scents and baits and was acknowledged for his skills and accomplishments in these areas. He once gave his daughter a live fox for Christmas when she asked for one as a pet! Mr. Fox was kept in an outside pen until his sad eyes prompted his safe release back into the wild. After 35 years, he retired from General Motors Corp., New Jersey and returned home to Lopez to build his log cabin dream home with the help of his son, Gary. A proud and stoic man, John rarely complained as his eyesight failed and he was no longer able to roam his beloved Pennsylvania hills freely. So now, as his favorite poem by Robert Burns says: “My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here, my heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer.” The family would like to thank all those who cared for John and were his special friends ... Joe Fanning, Marilyn Sykes, Judy Greiger, Sullivan Terrace staff and friends, Priests and parish members of St. Basil's Church, Newell Rod and Gun Club members, the two Dushore Banks’ personnel and Post Office employees whom he enjoyed visiting with. And a special thank you to all the doctors and nurses for the extra time and attention given John over the years. A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date. Contributions, if so desired, can be made to St. Basil's church, PO Box 307, Dushore, Pennsylvania 18614 Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA 18614 To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to www.homerfuneralhome.com To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Gerald Gavlick, please visit our flower store.