Jonathan Nyce, Jr.

Jonathan Nyce, Jr., 93 of Collegeville passed suddenly on February 17, 2018. He was a WWII Navy Veteran who served in the Pacific Theatre on a crash boat and the William R. Rush Destroyer. He was born on February 7, 1925 the son of Jonathan and Florence (Koschorreck) Nyce. Brother of the late Florence Knoble, Raymond, and Robert. Jonathan was a private pilot, a Boy Scout and Explorer Leader, he enjoyed dancing and tennis, he had worked as a machinist for Welding Engineers for many years. Jonathan was the beloved husband of Emma R. (nee Dusza) for 69 years. Loving Father of Dr. Jonathan W. Nyce, David S. (Gwen), Michael W. (Candy) and Richard J. (Denise). Dear brother of Rebecca Schilgel and Deborah Nyce. He is also survived by 9 Grandchildren and 2 Great Grandchildren. Jonathan was always a family man, and his family has been his main interest for his entire life. Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing on Wednesday, February 21 7:00-9:00 pm at Szpindor-Meyers Funeral Home, 101 N. Park Ave, Trooper, PA 19403. The Funeral Mass will be Thursday, February 22 10:00 AM at Visitation BVM Church 190 N. Trooper Rd, Norristown, PA 19403. Interment will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Norristown, PA. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory to Visitation BVM School appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Szpindor-Meyers Funeral Home. Condolences may be made by visiting www.MeyersFH.com Eulogy Good morning everyone. I’m David, the second of Jonathan Nyce Junior’s four sons. My brothers Jonathan, Michael, and Richard, our families, and our mother Emma, thank you for your prayers and solace. Dad was always a family man, and family has been his main interest for his entire life. He grew up in the area around the Perkiomen and Skippack creeks, and liked to go fishing and trapping. As a teenager he had an Indian motorcycle, then started working on cars, and learned how to completely rebuild the engine. He told me that he had one car on which the engine had caught fire a few times. I wondered how he knew when the engine was on fire? He said, when the engine’s on fire, the paint on the hood starts to bubble. Dad enlisted in the Navy in May of 1943, went to machinist school in Dearborn Michigan, and was deployed in the Pacific theater of world war 2. At the Naval Air Facility on the island of Kanton, he manned a crash boat to rescue survivors from crashed airplanes and sinking ships. He said that sometimes he manned a tower overnight on a small reef near the harbor to watch for enemy submarines. I asked what he was supposed to do if he ever saw an enemy submarine. He said he planned to fire at it with his bolt action Springfield rifle, and maybe someone on the island would hear it. After Kanton, he was stationed at John Rogers Naval Air Station on Oahu at Pearl Harbor, near Hickam Field in 1944 and ‘45. He manned a crash boat named The Capstan, and sometimes a PT boat. On return to the states, he served on the William R. Rush destroyer as a machinist. He was honorably discharged from the military in November, 1945. After the war, he learned to fly at an airfield owned by his uncle, Wesley Nyce, earning his airman and commercial licenses. Like his uncle Wes, who was a noted stunt pilot, dad liked to try out new airplanes. He usually had to take the plane upside down to see how well he liked it. But there was one plane he couldn’t fly inverted for long, because too much fuel would come out onto the windscreen. After he met mom, he’d fly aerial stunts over the farm, and sometimes they would fly down to the beach. Dad built the house where we grew up, and we had a lot of fun growing up. While mom was a long time den mother and Cub Scout leader, Dad became the Webelos leader and then started the Explorer Scout Post, taking us on wilderness adventures, camping, and canoeing the rapids. Mom and dad both liked dancing, including line dancing, square dancing, ball room, clogging, and of course, the Polka. Our cousins all called him Uncle Johnny, and over the years, our house was the gathering place for many birthday and holiday parties, graduations, Easter egg hunts, bocce ball, and volleyball. Dad and mom made a formidable pair when playing tennis at the nearby high school. Dad liked going to mass and church functions, and was an usher here at Visitation BVM church. Jonathan Nyce Junior was an extraordinary son, brother, husband, and father. He was very well respected, and a very fine man. We all miss you so much, Dad. Rest in peace.