Merle F. "Uncle Merle" Kumik

AUSTINTOWN - Merle F. "Uncle Merle" Kumik, 96, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2022 at the Humility House in Austintown.

Merle was born May 16, 1925 in Youngstown, a son of the late John and Aniela Woytila Kumik. He worked for Rosenblum Brothers, then Republic Steel in the blast furnace for 10 years until his retirement in 1982. He also worked at Checker Beverage in Youngstown for many years then went on to own Dial Furniture, Poland Beverage Center and Polka Village over the years.

He was a member of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church. His great passion was polka music He was the founding President of the Penn-Ohio Polka Pal Boosters Club for more than 50 years of dedication to Polka Music through promotion of polka dances and festivals. He hosted polka radio shows on WKTL for 25 years and WKBN Polka Party for 26 years. He was a member of the ABC Polka Club. He was inducted into the Cleveland Polka Hall of Fame in 1999 and was Penn-Ohio Polka Pals Man of the Year in 2010.

When he moved into the Humility House in Austintown, he slowly became the unofficial Ambassador of their Activities Dept. helping to plan outings to restaurants and sightseeing events for the residents. He also arranged to have polka music groups play at Humility House and had a class to teach the residents how to play Five Hundred Rummy. He loved keeping busy and helping out in any way he could at the nursing home.

Merle leaves behind to cherish his memory, his daughters, Gerri (John) Gagliano and Lee (Al) Moran, both of Summerfield, FL, and Wendy Schon of Boardman, OH. He is also survived by his grandchildren Ms. Kelly Reagan of Harrisonburg, VA, Brian (Angela) Reagan of Jamestown, OH. And Andrew Schon of Phoenix, AZ, and his four great grandchildren, Austin, Lauren, Veronica and Brody Reagan, all of Jamestown, OH.

Other than his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife, the former Pauline Madjerick, whom he married August 22, 1943, and who passed away December 29, 2020, and his brothers Frank, Theodore and William Kumik and an infant sister.

Per Merle's wishes, he will be cremated and a memorial service for both he and his wife will be held for family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Humility House Activities Dept.

The family has entrusted Merle's care to the Kubina Yuhasz Wasko Funeral Home. Please visit www.waskofamily.com to view the obituary and send the family condolences.

The family wishes to sincerely thank Humility House Nursing Home in Austintown, OH for their exceptional care of Merle.

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