Edward Jankowski

EDWARD JANKOWSKI Former Mancos resident Edward Jankowski died Wednesday at his home in Scottsdale, AZ. Services will be held at St. Rita's Catholic Church in Mancos on Wednesday at 10 am. Edward Jankowski was born in Belarus in the Soviet Union on April 17, 1938 to Piotr and Henryka Jankowski. In 1949, after escaping out of the Soviet Union during World War II, Ed, his parents and his two younger sisters Harriett and Teresa immigrated to the United States. After landing in New Orleans, the family settled in Chicago, IL. The family studied hard and became citizens. His favorite saying was that he was Russian by birth, Polish by decent and American by choice. Ed believed in the American dream and he worked hard to achieve it. Immediately upon graduating from DeVry Institute in engineering, Ed was hired by Beckman Instruments. Ed loved his country and served her in the Air Force National Guard in Illinois. In 1961, he met Joanne Lukes, marrying her in September of that year. After having three children, Peter, Scott and Laura, Ed and Joanne moved to California where Ed started up his first business JPW Industries and eventually EXO Sensors which manufactured oxygen and hydrogen sensors for nuclear power plants. He sold the companies later in 1987. In 1980, Ed and his family moved to the Alamo Ranch in Mancos where eventually he started Loronix Information Systems with his son Pete. Loronix outgrew its Mancos location and moved to Durango. Loronix sold photo identification systems and eventually CCTV systems. Loronix was sold in 2000. After the sale of Loronix, Ed took a back seat with other businesses but still consulted with them. Ed worked hard all of his life but he loved to play. Ed was an avid amateur radio operator. His call sign was W6KCB. He loved to make contact with old and new friends on his ham radio. He loved to fish, owning several boats in his lifetime, including a 38 foot Hans Christian sailboat named My Way and a 72 foot yacht named Risk and Reward. He was an excellent pilot and loved to fly. He instilled many of his same passions in his children. The last years of his life he enjoyed spending time with his friends and family especially his grandchildren. Ed will be remembered by his quick wit and generous nature. Although he lived in many places, he loved Colorado the most. He is survived by his wife Joanne, his sons Pete and Scott, his daughter Laura, Pete's wife Joanne, Scott's wife Karen, Laura's husband Matthew, his grandchildren Conner, Alex and Nikki and his sisters Harriett and Teresa. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Mayo Clinic Arizona, Department of Development, 13400 E. Shea Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85259 in memory of Ed Jankowski. W6KCB signing out.