WILMINGTON — John Theodore Danylyk passed away on November 1, 2022. He was a very proud Second Generation
American of Ukrainian and Ruthenian descent. Throughout his life, John was very passionate about music and history.
Two events in 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio gave John great pleasure. First, he met his idol, Gene Krupa and, shortly after, he shared a moment with jazz drummer Joe Morello. That was before Morello joined Dave Brubeck and recorded their jazz classic “Take Five.”
John was predeceased by his parents Frank Theodore Danylyk and Anne Sally Danylyk (nee Wasko), and recently by two of his elder sisters, Dorothy Brown and Kathryn (Rick) Weiler.
John is survived by his one-and-only love Suzanne Mary Danylyk (nee Wills). He is also survived by and the proud father of Dr. Gregory John Danylyk (Lynn) and daughter Tanya Chrystina Stack (Joseph) and adored Grandchildren, Fiona, Callaghan, and Fintan Stack. Also surviving John is his loving sister Geraldine Dotson, and his very beloved Aunt Stephanie Danylyk, and many special nieces and nephews.
John was Salutatorian of his 1958 graduating class at Brooklyn High School in Brooklyn, Ohio. While in high school John was also a professional jazz drummer. He also played football, basketball, and ran track. After graduation, he enrolled in Ohio State University’s College of Engineering.
To paraphrase Yogi Berra, when you come to a fork in the road, take it. That fork came on December 31, nee 1959, when John enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to the Army Security Agency. After Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, he was sent to the Army Language School at the Presidio of Monterey, California, to learn Russian. Another fork in the road took John to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he later became a member of the 75th Army Band. In his free time, John carried 12 semester hours at night at George Washington University. John also had his first course in Economics at night at the University of Maryland. John returned to Ohio State University in the Autumn Quarter 1961, earning a BS in Business Administration with a major in Economics in 1964. He then enrolled in Graduate School and by September 1965, he had completed all requirements for a MA in Economics except for the completion of his Master Thesis on East-West Trade. With a newborn son, John accepted a job offer from The Central Intelligence Agency.
John enjoyed a 37-year career in Economic Intelligence, starting at the Central Intelligence Agency in August 1965. At CIA’s Office of Economic Research (OER), his main area of concentration was Soviet Foreign Trade and Finance and East-West Trade. In 1968-69, John was OER’s Country Analyst for Czechoslovakia. In 1978-79, he was Country Analyst for Poland. Later in 1979, John was detailed to the
US Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence (INR) to serve as the Chief of the Communist Economic Relations Division in INR’s Office of Economic Analysis. John transferred permanently to INR in 1981, where he often led The US Delegation to NATO’s Economic Committee. After the fall of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe, and the enemy becoming the client, John’s focus was on analyzing their rough road toward developing market economies and democracy. John retired in November 2002.
In retirement, John wanted to focus on US History. He eagerly accepted an invitation from the Library of Congress in 2002 to enter its Docent Training Program. As a docent, he led tours of the Jefferson Building for 14 years. Having relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina in January 2005, eleven of those years were as a “Docent-At-Large”, traveling from Wilmington to Washington, DC on the 5th Saturday of the month.
Known for his fondness for libraries, John was invited to join The Friends of the Library where he served for two years as President.
Eager to learn more about Wilmington’s history, John also entered the docent program at Bellamy Mansion where he led tours for several years and actively promoted the Mansion’s Programs.
John deeply loved and was very committed to his family. He shared many special moments with them. He greatly enjoyed attending his children’s and grandchildren’s school and community events. He was a life-long fan of The Ohio State University Football team, and he enjoyed watching the games with his family.
