Edward J. Barylak, M.D., age 76, a resident of Fort Myers, FL, and formerly of Manitowoc, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 working in his beloved woods at his summer home in Three Lakes, WI.
Ed was born on September 12, 1943 in Ukraine to the late Rev. Thomas and Sophia (Licowska) Barylak. He graduated from Allentown Central Catholic High School in Allentown, PA with the class of 1962. Ed received his BS degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA in 1966 and his MD degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA in 1970. He completed his internship at Jefferson in 1971 and then moved to Wisconsin where he completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Wisconsin in 1973. Two years later, Ed completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. On June 13, 1970 Ed married Chrystina Zabrocky in Philadelphia, PA. Because of COVID, they were unable to celebrate their 50th anniversary on a family cruise to Scandinavia this August, as planned.
Throughout the 1970’s, Ed served our country in the US Army Reserves as a medical officer. In June of 1975, he joined the Manitowoc Clinic where he practiced internal medicine and oncology until his retirement from Aurora Health Care in 2013. He was a dedicated physician who cared for his patients deeply and missed them profoundly after retirement. Ed, always an avid reader and movie buff, stayed busy gardening and chopping wood in Three Lakes in the summer, playing golf, bocce and poker in Florida, mounting stamps which he collected over the years, studying horses and handicapping the races, travelling, socializing and enjoying his signature cocktail, a Chivas and ginger ale, with his many friends. Above all, Ed was a loving and giving father, committed to providing opportunities for his children through education and by entrusting them with their freedom to pursue their interests and dreams, and by taking special joy in looking after their children, the grandchildren he adored so.
Survivors include Ed’s beloved wife of 50 years, Chrystina; two children, Toma Barylak of San Francisco, CA and Tanya (Blake) Barylak Wirht of Brooklyn, NY; three grandchildren, Molly and Jack Lyons of Ridgefield, CT and Burton Wirht of Brooklyn, NY; brother Major (ret) Bohdan (Carol) Barylak of Canton, GA; sister, Natalie Zmyj of Somerset, NJ; along with nieces, nephews, and cousins. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Thomas and Sophia Barylak; daughter, Andrea Barylak Lyons; and sister, Irene Cehelyk.
A celebration of life open house will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Ed’s birthday, Saturday, September 12, 2020 at the Harrigan Parkside Gathering Center, 620 North Water Street, Manitowoc, located on the south property of the Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home. For more information about attending the open house, including COVID safety considerations, and to post online condolences, please visit www.harriganparksidefuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorials in Ed’s name to 1) St. Francis of Assissi Catholic Church in Manitowoc, 2) The Capitol Civic Center in Manitowoc and 3) “Cancer Research”at Mayo Clinic. Memorials can be made online at www.mayoclinic.org/development or mailed to Department of Development, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905. Please indicate the name of the person you wish to honor and provide a mailing address on the contribution form or in a short note so that Mayo Clinic can send a notification of your remembrance to the family.
