Obituary of Augustine S. Puchrik

Augustine S. Puchrik (COL USAF, Retired) Augustine Stephen Puchrik, 91, died October 3, 2010 of respiratory failure at Reston Medical Center, Reston, Virginia, after suffering a stroke at home the previous week. Augustine S. Puchrik graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York in 1945. Among his many career accomplishments, he served as an instructor at the Army Intelligence School in Oberammergau, Germany at the end of World War II; he then flew provisions into Berlin, Germany during the historic Berlin Airlift. He later served as the Deputy of the United States Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) in West Berlin, Germany prior to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. His assignment as the head of the Air Force ROTC Department at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana was a dream come true - he loved the history of the Catholic university named for Our Lady and enjoyed attending the Notre Dame football games from his faculty seats on the 50 yard line. His last duty station was at the United States Embassy in Moscow, Russia where he served as the Senior Air Attaché with the State Department. Augustine retired from the US Air Force in 1974 after 29 years of service. Augustine and his wife, Dorothy Raymond Puchrik, retired to Vienna, Virginia where he was a member of St. Mark's Catholic Church and the St. Vincent de Paul Society and volunteered in the Prison Ministry. After living in Vienna, Virginia for 33 years, he and his wife moved to Herndon, Virginia where they lived until his death. In addition to his beloved wife of 62 years, Augustine is survived by 4 children: Andrew Stephen Puchrik (Deborah), David Vincent Puchrik (Constance), Joanne Puchrik Scarpino and Kathleen Monica Puchrik (J); 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. A son-in-law, Don Franklin Scarpino, preceded him in death. Interment will be January 7, 2011 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Services are being handled by Adam-Green Funeral Home, Herndon, Virginia.