Obituaries

Edward F. Doroska

Edward F. Doroska, age 73, formerly of Riverhead, died recently, Oct. 23, 2016, at the Pines of Peace Comfort Care Hospice House in Ontario, N.Y. For the past three years he had resided in the northern New York Finger Lakes region in Wolcott.

Edward, known to many of his childhood friends as “Edjew,” but more commonly known as Eddie, was born June 13, 1943, to John P. Doroszka and Sophie Bozenski Doroszka at the Riverhead Nursing Home on Roanoke Avenue and was raised in the hamlet of Polish Town.

Eddie was a graduate of Riverhead High School, Class of 1962, and worked for the United States Postal Service in Riverhead as a mail carrier for 31 years, his last several years delivering mail to Glenwood Village in Riverhead, where he was well received because of his caring, concerning service.

Eddie was a member of Sunnyside Baptist Church in North Rose, N.Y. The church’s Pastor Jim Houtz officiated at his funeral Oct. 29, 2016, at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead along with Pastor Dave Cook from Calvary Baptist Church in Riverhead. Calling hours were on Friday, Oct. 28, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home, where Pastor Fred Peipman from Moriches Bible Church shared a few words during the afternoon hours on Ed’s Christian walk and his personal testimony of being born again. Also, Monsignor Rev. E. Raymond Walden, a longtime family friend, offered prayers, memories and condolences on Friday evening.

Eddie’s nearly lifelong hobbies were his musical talents with guitars and the accordion, teaching himself to excel at both. He was a member of two bands in the ’70s with his longtime best friend, who was more like a brother, Geoff Hawkes. He was in The Geoff Hawkes Trio, along with a great buddy, Rusty Burgess, and then The Band on the Run when Flanders Methodist minister Ken White joined the original trio. In the ’80s, he played in the band “The JEMS” with another longtime best friend, Mark Heppner, and Greg Heppner, a most devoted special friend, along with another special friend, John MacDonald.

Once retiring from these band activities, Eddie threw himself into woodworking, buying a Woodmizer sawmill and building a solar lumber drying house for creating incredible wood treasures, which most of the time were designed from a picture, without any plans. He also drew up plans, and with the help of Ziggy Rachubka, he built his own three-bay garage, a backhoe, a hovercraft and a solar-powered hot-water heater. Eddie was known to create and build tools that were needed for his latest projects because there were none found to do what he needed them to do. Many have said that Eddie was a genius and jack-of-all-trades; there was very little he couldn’t do!

Eddie was predeceased by both of his parents and his brother Daniel and sister-in-law, Virginia Doroska. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joanne (née Krajewski); his son, Anthony (Franci), and daughter Connie McCormack, both of Riverhead, and his daughter Sharon Rachubka of Calverton. Sharon’s two daughters, Jessica Rachubka of Riverhead and Melissa Rachubka of Flanders, were always loving and devoted to their “Gpa,” inheriting his artsy, talented gifts as well. He is also survived by Franci’s four children, Rosa Perez (Luis), Rick, Savannah and Billy Fleming, and her granddaughter, Isabella Perez.

Eddie was a most devout born-again Christian, fully believing in the gospel of John 3:5, which was also his personal testimony, “Jesus answered, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”

Anyone interested in the giving of personal donations may send them to Pines of Peace Comfort Care Home, 2378 Ridge Road, Ontario, NY 14519.

This is a paid notice.