Bladek, Anthony Alan

Peacefully passed away on June 24, 2018, in his Virginia home. He was born July 24, 1945 to Stanley and Emily (Valaika) Bladek in Gary (Tolleston), Indiana. Having lost both his parents while still a minor, he was lovingly raised by his uncle Toney Valaika.

He was a proud member of the first graduating class from Andrean High School in 1963. He went onto Purdue University graduating with Honors in 1968 from the College of Engineering, with a degree in Electrical Engineering and another degree in Computer Science. Later, he attended Illinois Institute of Technology receiving both a Masters and a Doctorate degree in Business Management. He also received a Doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering from DeVry University.

His employment was with General Motors, Electro Motive Division in LaGrange Illinois, directly from college until he retired forty-one years later. His accomplishments included installing the first computer integration module on a diesel locomotive, designing and building over twenty different engines (many still in operation today). Many of his projects took him overseas to such locations as Germany, China, Canada and India.

Living in Oak Forest, Illinois he was an active parishioner at St. George Church in Tinley Park. Upon retirement in 2009, Anthony moved to Virginia to spend time with his son, daughter-inlaw, and grandchildren until his passing. He is survived by his son Jeffrey, his daughter-in-law Brenda Cafiero-Bladek, their children, Jaelyn and Deklan along with three additional grandchildren in Colorado.

The Memorial Mass will be held Tuesday, August 7th at 10:00 a.m. at St. George Catholic Church in Tinley Park, IL.

The family suggests intended memorials be made to Purdue University, College of Engineering which has been setup in Anthony’s name via this link: giving.purdue.edu/anthonybladek