Anthony William Pacholk

Anthony William Pacholk passed away on November 28, 2025 at Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue, New York.

Anthony was born in Port Jefferson, New York on July 9th, 1947 to John Pacholk and Jessie Kimond. He is survived by two siblings, Annamae and Eugene, and predeceased by Prokop.

He was married to Darlene Barrett on July 8th, 1978. They had two children: Amy Lee Pacholk and Jason Anthony Pacholk. Amy was married to Mamadou Diagne on August 11th, 2005, and they have a 14 year old daughter Whitley Marianne.

Jason married Suzanne Opalenchuk on May 17th, 2014. They have two daughters, 12 year old Rylee Grace and 9 year old Avery Violet. Anthony loved spending time with his grandchildren and liked going to their school concerts, sporting events, and extracurricular activities.

Anthony graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 1965; he played football and was a talented track athlete competing and placing in the top two in the state for his races.

Anthony was a golf caddy throughout and after high school and an ocean lifeguard.

Anthony enlisted in the United States Army in the late 1960s, was sent to Vietnam, and fought in the Tet Offensive; he received the Army Commendation Medal for his service.

He worked in Intelligence and would fly around Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia gathering information. His brother Prokop was stationed in Vietnam at the same time. He told a story of arranging a flight plan to spend a night with his brother for his birthday. Anthony was a Captain and also led a battalion for ground action. Anthony was honorably discharged. This experience shaped his entire life from that point on.

He frequented the Vietnam War Memorial to pay his respects and honor the members of his battalion killed in action.

Anthony graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Human Relations on May 9th, 1976 from William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He enjoyed his time at William Penn but was conflicted about the antiwar sentiment and how he was treated as a Vietnam Veteran. He was a fraternity brother and enjoyed art classes.

Later in the 1980s, he enlisted in the Army National Guard. He was a member of the 42nd Maintenance Battalion based in the Bronx. He received awards for exceptionally dedicated conduct and performance of outstanding service.

Anthony had a career with the United States Postal Service for over 25 years. He worked as a mail carrier walking around Greenport and later in his career became a supervisor- managing distribution centers in Melville, Calverton, and Riverhead. He was also the local Union Shop Steward for the American Postal Workers Union.

Anthony sought help for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the 1990s created both by his time in Vietnam and his return home. He was grateful to the team at the Northport Veterans’ Affairs who helped him recover nearly 30 years later. The Northport VA was integral part of Anthony’s life from that point on.

Anthony was exposed to Agent Orange, and it caused significant harm to his health contributing a large part to his death.

Anthony found peace in nature. He spent his mornings walking the creeks and waterways of Speonk and Remsenburg and visited his ‘church’ daily: the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.