He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.  He was a World War II Army veteran having served with the 33rd Division in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the New Guinea and Luzon Campaigns.  He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He retired from the plant, Merck & Co., Rahway, N.J., in 1977 after 33 years.  In 1995, he moved to Harrisonburg to be near his daughter and her family after residing for 42 years in Asbury Park, N.J.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 50 years, Helen Patricia Danko Kovach, an infant son, Joseph, two brothers, and two sisters.

He is survived by his daughter, Theresa and her husband, Bryan S. Eckstein of Harrisonburg, Va.; and his five adored grandchildren, Bryan J. Eckstein of Charlottesville, Va., Christopher Eckstein of Denver, Colo., Danny Eckstein of Charlottesville, Va., and Michael and Michelle Eckstein of Harrisonburg, Va.

He is also survived by two sisters, Julia Buickerood of Scotland, Pa., and Madeline and her husband, Howard Munn, of Woodbridge, N.J.; a brother, Steven Kovach and his wife, Margaret, of McCleansville, N.C., and numerous nephews and nieces.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan.  19, 2009, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Harrisonburg with Father Thomas Mattingly officiating. Interment will follow at Eastlawn Memorial Gardens.

A Rosary Service was held 6 p.m. Sunday at the Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg followed by a time of visitation until 8 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church Building Fund, 154 N. Main St., Harrisonburg, VA  22803, or the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 1477, Harrisonburg, VA 22803.