Edwin C. Kapusta, a resident of Florence, died on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at EMC Hospital.
Visitation will be held on Monday, November 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon at St. Michael’s Church in St. Florian. Father John O’Donnell, O.S.B., of St. Michael’s, will celebrate the funeral Mass on November 28, at 12:00 noon, following visitation. Burial will follow at St. Michael’s Cemetery.
Edwin Kapusta was born on February 14, 1925, in Schenectady, New York, the eldest son of John and Adela Dojnik Kapusta. He grew up and attended public schools in Schenectady. Dr. Kapusta received his B.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York; his M.S. degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Worcester, Massachusetts; and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Dr. Kapusta enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943, and received his Ensign’s commission in 1945. During World War II, he served on several vessels, including the USS Leyte.
Dr. Kapusta’s lifetime interest in the production and application of fertilizers for industrial and agricultural use led to various positions in private industry and government, including at the American Cyanamid Company in Stamford, Connecticut, and the Potash Company of America in New York, New York. Dr. Kapusta’s last position prior to his retirement was with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) on the TVA Reservation in Muscle Shoals.
Dr. Kapusta met his bride-to-be, the former Mary Frances Cottle of Orange, Texas, in June, 1948, when Miss Cottle traveled to Stamford, Connecticut to sing at a cousin’s wedding. They were married at Miss Cottle’s home in Texas on September 9, 1949. Dr. and Mrs. Kapusta moved to Florence in 1978 and were committed members of St. Michael’s Church, where Mrs. Kapusta served as choir director for many years.
Dr. Kapusta was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Frances, his parents John and Adela, and his sisters, Wanda Butrym and Rose Marie Hickok. He is survived by his daughter, Kathryn Anne, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; sons Karl Edwin, of Escondido, California, and J. David (Claire), of Wappingers Falls, New York; grandchildren John D. (Katie), and Thomas Edwin, both of New York, New York, and Kathryn C. Kapusta, of Escondido, California; his brothers, Kasimer J. Kapusta and A. Anthony (Elyse) Kapusta of Schenectady, New York; and his nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. M
