Westbury/East Worcester – Harold G. Kovarik Jr., 76, passed away on June 8, 2018 surrounded by his family at the Albany Medical Center in upstate New York. The oldest child of the late Harold G. and Dorothy (Pardey) Kovarik, Harold was born on June 5, 1942 in Flushing, NY. He grew up in Huntington, NY and graduated from Walt Whitman High School. Harold earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, where he met his future wife, Susan (Farnham). Harold went on to do graduate work in education at SUNY Stony Brook. He was a biology and general science teacher at several high schools including Flushing and Long Island City High Schools for 30 years, retiring in 1996.

Harold enjoyed 52 years of marriage with Susan. He is survived by Susan; his two daughters, Kathy Wise and Diana Torres; three grandchildren, Brenna Vikara, Travis Torres, and Avery Torres; three siblings, Lynn MacKay, Janet Moore, and James Kovarik; as well as nieces, nephews, and many other family members.

Harold always did what he wanted to do and lived life on his own terms. He was quirky and unique – a true Renaissance man. Harold could fix or make almost anything. He fixed his cars for many years and did tons of repair work around the house. He even taught a "fix it" course in his high school to pass along some of the knowledge he accumulated over the years through trial and error and more than a few bouts of cursing.

Harold could talk to anyone. He was always ready with a story, some bit of trivia, or a joke (usually clean). He loved cartoons and T-shirts with funny quotes, and he told jokes until the end.

Harold was a teacher at heart, and he taught many people, not just the students in his classroom. He formed close friendships with his students, some of which lasted his entire life. He also took his students on many excursions – including caving trips, to Old Bethpage Village Restoration, and kayaking in the harbors off Long Island. When Diana and Kathy were in elementary school, he visited their classrooms to talk about his extensive shell collection. After he retired from Long Island City High School, he became "The Time Traveler" and visited schools and festivals with a display of period clothing (which he sewed with exacting precision), medical tools, weapons, and other historical artifacts. He enjoyed sharing his love of history with others.

Harold had many interests and went through periods where he took a deep dive into a particular area. He always had a deep interest in history, especially military matters. He volunteered at Old Bethpage Village Restoration for many years, and he made blank cartridges for soldiers in the Civil War reenactment group that did exercises there.

Harold loved boats. He had a variety of small boats over the years – kayaks, canoes, row boats, and sailboats. He even made a canoe out of wood and fiberglass. Harold also loved motorcycles. He had several over the years, including one with a sidecar. When Kathy and Diana were young and there were parades in town, Harold could be seen riding the motorcycle with one or both children in the sidecar.

Harold also had a lifelong interest in musical instruments. He played violin from a young age. His musical collection grew to include a concertina, a bugle, bagpipes, a harp, mandolins, a dulcimer, flutes, pig and frog rasps, thumb pianos, a xylophone, and his famous walking stick flute. Diana and Kathy remember him calling them home for dinner by playing the bugle or waking them up on a Saturday playing Reveille. If you heard a flute or mandolin in a store or restaurant, there was a good chance it was because Harold was there.

Harold had a wonderful voice and enjoyed singing. You could always hear his voice over everyone else in church. In the summer when the organist was on vacation, Harold led the hymns by standing up in front of everyone and singing acapella, always in perfect tune.

Harold developed a deep interest in stained glass and taught himself how to make all types of beautiful things in glass – planters, jewelry boxes, stained glass windows. He taught some of his students stained glass too.

Harold was also a great cook and baker. He always made dinner when Susan was working. He went through a bread phase where he regularly made an assortment of yeast cakes, and in the final years of his life he frequently made brownies, many of which he gave away to Susan's coworkers, staff in his doctors' offices, and other people he met.

In his later years, Harold bought a house in East Worchester in upstate NY. He loved visiting the property and looked forward to it all winter. He became interested in antique tractors and wound up with six of them at the house. When Harold decided he liked something, he went all in – one tractor, one boat, one whatever was not enough. Harold loved riding the tractors on his property upstate, sitting in the gazebo by the pond, watching deer in the backyard, and planning activities for Travis and Avery to do when they visited.

We buried Harold on Tuesday, June 12 at the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie, NY. A memorial service and celebration of Harold's life will be held on July 21 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Jerusalem Avenue, Hicksville, NY. At this celebration, we will display a small selection of the eclectic range of items he collected and/or made over the years, including musical instruments; historical artifacts such as medical equipment, weapons, and clothing (which he made); books; sea shells; stained glass; etc. – there are just too many things to list. Everyone who knew and loved Harold is welcome to attend and share their memories of this special man.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Harold's name to DonorsChoose.org (www.donorschoose.org – provides classroom supplies for public school teachers; you pick the classroom and the project to support) or the American Lung Association (www.lung.org – provides education, research, services, and advocacy on issues to promote lung health and prevent lung disease).