| Obituary |
- NORTHUMBERLAND
"Theodore F. "Ted" Belitsa, 91, of 1 Ridgway, passed away on Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, at Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg.
He was born March 21, 1918, in Nanticoke, the son of the late John and Anna (Layczysen) Belitsa. On June 7, 1947, in Washington, D.C., he married the former Lois Allison, who survives. This year, they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.
He was a 1936 graduate of Nanticoke High School and attended the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School) before World War II. He graduated from Columbus University, now part of Catholic University, Washington, D.C., where he received his master's degree in fiscal administration.
During World War II, he enlisted in the Coast Guard and saw active duty in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of operation from April 1942 until he was released to inactive duty as a full lieutenant in 1946. He received a commendation for rescuing sailors from a burning LST before the Okinawa engagement.
At the time of his retirement in 1983, Mr. Belitsa was assistant regional commissioner of customs, Boston region, where he was deeply involved in the interdiction of narcotics entering the United States. Before that, he was assistant director of audits for the U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C., during which time he also served on a committee formed to study the automation of customs operations. Earlier in his career, he was associated with the League of Cities of the Third Class, Harrisburg.
Mr. Belitsa was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Parish, Lewisburg, where he was a member from 1983 until the time of his passing. He served on the church's finance committee and was an usher for many years. He was a member of the Lewisburg Lions Club since 1983, having served as its treasurer for 12 years. He was a certified internal auditor and had been a member of the Institute of Certified Internal Auditors. He was a volunteer with the American Red Cross and the Meals On Wheels program and had been a member of the Penn Wheelers Square Dance Club.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by one sister, Helen O'Bremski, of Nanticoke. He was preceded in death by five sisters, Elizabeth Baginski, of Toronto, Canada, Anna Danchak, of Alden, Eva Boncavage, of Detroit, Mich., Olga O'Brien, of Spotswood, N.J., and Mary Chesko, of Kingston.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday in Sacred Heart Church, Lewisburg, with the Rev. Msgr. William M. Richardson as celebrant. Burial will be at a later date in the family plot in Nanticoke. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Funeral arrangements are by the John H. Shaw III Funeral Home, Market and Eighth streets, Lewisburg.
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Our Family History
1918 - 2009 (91 years)
