Obituary for
Stephen John Hanchar
Stephen J. Hanchar, age 79, of Delton, died Friday October 21st, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo. Stephen was born September 21st 1937 in Chicago, IL, to the Right Reverend John Roman and Nadja (Shewschuck) Hanchar. Stephen attended Mishawaka High School in Mishawaka, IN. He married his wife, Peggy Hanchar (née Smith), in 1958. In 1960, Stephen received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. Stephen and Peggy moved to Battle Creek in 1969, then to Delton, where they have resided on Wall Lake since 1972. Stephen worked as an electrical engineer for the Clark Equipment Co., as well as firms in Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Detroit. After his retirement, Stephen enjoyed driving school bus for the Delton-Kellogg Schools. A devoted member of St. Elias Eastern Orthodox Church for 50 years, Stephen served on the church board as treasurer and directed the church choir. He was a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America and remained a lifelong scouting enthusiast. He loved Wall Lake, being outdoors, hunting, fishing, boating, and golfing. Stephen is survived by his wife, Peggy, daughter, Laura (Tim) Vonckx, of Milwaukee, WI; sons, Stephen R. (Jane Iler) Hanchar of Milwaukee, James S. (Janis ) Hanchar, of Paw Paw, and Robert J. (Nancy) Hanchar of Charlotte, MI; five grandchildren and four great grandchildren; sisters, Katherine Palsce and Mary Murphy, of Osceola, IN, Dorothy Peterson of Michigan City, IN, and Anna (David) Ledney of Gaithersburg, MD, and a brother, Alexander Hanchar, of Kalamazoo. Stephen was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, James Hanchar.