Chester Furtek Service Information

Chester Furtek, age 93, of Doylestown, PA passed away at Christ’s Home in Warminster, PA on October 31, 2019.

Chester was born on May 10, 1926 in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in the city with his parents, older brother, and three sisters.

At the age of 17, Chester enlisted in the Navy and fought in World War II in the European theater. Chester was a Seaman 1st Class on the USS Corry during the invasion of Normandy when the destroyer was hit and sunk. He survived the wreckage, artillery shelling, and hypothermia after hours in the English Channel. Just this year, Chester met the daughter of Lt. Ronald Vanelli, who was the officer who rescued Chester on D-Day.

Chester married Nancy Chapkylo in 1951. The couple settled in Levittown, PA and raised their daughter, Deborah, there. Nancy and Chester moved to Furlong when their grandson was born.

Chester prized education. Upon his return from WWII, he earned a GED, then graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a degree in education. He had several jobs throughout his life, but he was most proud of teaching industrial arts and welding at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warwick.

Chester cherished travel. He and Nancy traveled extensively throughout their marriage, both with their daughter and, then, their grandchildren. Chet and Nancy even returned to the beaches of Normandy in 2014 for the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Chester loved his family and friends and expressed his love to them with heartfelt gratitude during his final days. He will be dearly missed.

Chester follows his wife Nancy, who passed in 2018. He was the devoted father of Deborah Gould and her husband James; the loving “Poppop” of Noel Byrne, his wife Suzanne, their children Maya and Sam; Monique Bitros, her husband Brandon, their children Anastasia and Dexter; Holly Byrne, her daughter Sophia, her partner Anthony Latoroco, their children Autumn and Ayden; and Sean Gould.

Relatives and friends are invited to greet the family on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 at Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 241 East Butler Ave. (at Sandy Ridge Rd.), New Britain, PA 18901 and to his Funeral Mass 11:30 AM at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 5194 Cold Spring Creamery Rd., Doylestown, PA 18902.  His interment with military honors will follow in Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Doylestown VFW Post 175, P.O. Box 1533 Doylestown, PA 18901.

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