Alumni Milestones

Events in the lives of the MMI Family

Weddings

Atty. Morgan Yakubowski ‘09 wed Justin Yakubowski ‘09 on September 3 at Capriottis in McAdoo and there were a number of MMI alumni in attendance including Allison Gortva ‘05, Chris Kimmel ‘08, and Jonathan Senczakowicz ’09. Atty. Mike Casari ’08 was a groomsman.

Deaths

Judith Person Ackerman passed away on November 6, 2022. She is survived by her husband, Benjamin (Jamie) Ackerman ‘62 .

Leslie Gower Della Croce ‘78 passed away on January 21, 2023. She is survived by her husband, Richard Della Croce; daughters, Natalie (Michael) Best; Leah (Steven); sons Kenneth (Ailyn); and Richard Patrick; two grandchildren; brothers; Edgar Gower, Jr. ‘73 (Joan); Gregory Gower ‘75 (Jill); and Charles Gower ‘80 (Connie).

John Joseph Evancho passed away on November 21, 2022. He is survived by his children, Brett Evancho, Kaitlyn Evancho, Jordan Evancho, Summer Evancho ‘19, Joshua Evancho, Cariae Liquori; and four grandchildren.

Roy. E. Feussner passed away on November 25, 2022. He is survived by his sons; 2013 Wall of Fame inductee in Professional Achievement, Dr. John R. Feussner ‘64; Ron Feussner ‘70; daughter , Patricia Ann Morse; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Johann “Hans” Koenig passed away on November 1, 2022. He is survived by his wife Barbara, former MMI Board Vice Chair and Board Member, and current MMI Honorary Board Member; sons Dr.

Steven Koenig ‘76 (Tippie); 2014 MMI Wall of Fame inductee in Professional Achievement, Dr. William Koenig ‘78 (Laura); and Thomas Koenig ‘81 (Karen); six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Leone Irene McClellan passed away on November 23, 2022. She is survived by her son Bruce and wife, Patricia; and granddaughter, Jessica McClellan ‘19

Barbara Michel passed away on September 20, 2022. She is survived by her husband, Joseph Michel ‘48; her children, Diane Even ‘77 and her husband, William; John Michel and wife, Christine; Michelle Zoscin; Anita Michel; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Daniel William Schutter ‘57 passed away on January 31, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Linda; children, Cindy Martin (Russell); and Bruce Schutter (Lee), and two grandchildren.

David Thomas Shergalis ‘66 passed away on January 7, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Jeffrey Shergalis (Grace); and Nancy Dussault (Aaron); brother, MMI President Emeritus and 2008 MMI Wall of Fame inductee in Service to MMI, William Shergalis ‘58 (Miki); and four grandchildren.

Daniel Paul Kostick ‘54

Daniel Paul Kostick ‘54 passed away on December 17, just a few months after the death of Janet, his beloved wife of 60 years. Daniel is survived by his three children, Lori Pittinger; Robert Kostick ‘82 (Jean); and Renee Reynolds (Keith); and his many grandchildren.

Dan grew up in Beaver Meadows and the hub of this small town was Kostick’s Market, owned and operated by Dan’s parents, Mary and Michael. The family lived above the market and spent many hours downstairs in the store. Dan and his siblings, Eugene, Raymond ‘48, Doris, and Paul spent much of their childhood loading and unloading trucks, filling orders, and helping with the family business. The market was a busy place, especially during huckleberry season when Dan and his brothers would drive from one small coal mining town to another to purchase the wild berries local residents had picked.

Dan graduated in 1954 from MMI and at the age of 17, met the love of his life, Janet Lawrence, then 15. He attended Pennsylvania State University for a year before joining the U.S. Army, where he served for two years in post-war Germany. Following his military service, Dan enrolled at Villanova University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He then went on to work at General Electric Corp. During one of his holiday visits back to Beaver Meadows, Dan and Janet ran into each other again. In 1962 they married and together they raised three children and welcomed 10 grandchildren.

Dan worked for General Electric in Philadelphia for nine years. In 1970, he and Janet returned to the Hazleton area and opened a Burger Chef restaurant. The burger business was not as profitable as they had hoped, and just three years later, they closed its doors for good. He then became a Pizza Hut franchisee, a business that saw enormous success and growth. Dan and Janet went on to own 13 Pizza Huts in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.

Over the years, Dan Kostick showed his support of MMI in a variety of ways. He served as master of ceremonies for MMI’s 110th Gala Celebration. He was the commencement speaker for the Class of

2001. Back in the early 1980’s he began the MMI cross-country program and served as the team’s first coach. His commitment to making an MMI education possible for children of all economic backgrounds began during his tenure as an active MMI Board Member (1981-1989). During that time, Dan and Janet established the first of their two scholarships, The Michael and Mary Kostick Endowed Scholarship, in memory of his parents. During the Campaign for MMI that began in 2010 and culminated with the growth of MMI’s Endowment, the creation of the MMI Athletic Field Complex, and the construction of The Joseph A. Turri ’45 Library and Learning Center, the Kosticks established a second scholarship, The Daniel P. ’54 and Janet Kostick Endowed Scholarship. The combined value of his two scholarships within MMI’s endowment surpasses the $1.1 million mark. He was inducted into the MMI Wall of Fame in 2010 for his service to MMI and was a member of MMI’s Honorary Board until the time of his passing.

Every year during Orientation before the start of school at MMI, all new students are given a copy of the book, Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. This book was a favorite of Dan’s and he felt that every MMI student should be aware of the history surrounding our school. He funded the purchase of 500 copies of this book directly from the publisher for MMI to share with all incoming families for the next few years. Dan was a true friend to MMI and his smile, kindness, and unflappable love for his family and our school will be greatly missed.