James G. Dukovic

James Gabriel Dukovic, age 95, passed away on September 29, 2021 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Jim was born on January 19th, 1926 in Pittsburgh to Mary (Specic) Dukovic and Michael Dukovic, a steelworker and boiler operator. His youth in Shaler Township was marked by close Croatian family ties, helping with chores, working the fields of a nearby farm, picking tomatoes, and - unaware of how it would play into his life's journey - belonging to a Boy Scout troop! Graduating from high school at 17, too young to enlist for World War II, Jim worked as a welder, making gratings for warships. When he did join the Army, he was assigned to a field artillery battalion of the 28th "Keystone" Infantry Division. He arrived in Europe soon after the Battle of the Bulge and participated in defending newly taken territory and guarding German POWs. After the war, with the unexpected opportunity afforded by the GI Bill, Jim enrolled at California State Teacher's College. He later transferred to Penn State University, initially studying forestry and ultimately earning a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 1950. While at Penn State, Jim completed ROTC training and earned a U.S. Air Force officer commission. But at graduation, he chose a civilian life. His curiosity was aroused by a job posting for a professional staff position in Baltimore with the Boy Scouts of America and he went for it. In Baltimore, Jim met Jane Owen, the love of his life, at a YMCA rooftop dance. They married in 1954. Jane soon pivoted from her career in the nascent computer industry to focus on raising children. Jim stayed on in the B.S.A. for his whole career, with executive positions in Pennsylvania: in Chester County; in Schuylkill County, where he devised innovative programs for vocational guidance and disabled youth; in Valley Forge; and eventually returning to the Chester County Council as Program Director. Scouting, with its strong ideals and mission of developing character in young people - achievable only by marshalling legions of adult volunteers - was Jim's lifelong vocational passion. With a growing family, Jim built - with his own hands and no power tools - a fine ranch-style house on a verdant hilltop in Kimberton, PA. He enlarged it over the decades, building ever-fancier masonry features from stones he collected from far and wide. Jim and Jane were inseparable soulmates, married for 66 years, till her passing in 2020. Together they raised four children in a loving, nurturing family, and, when grandchildren came, immersed themselves generously and creatively in each of their lives, remaining thoroughly connected with all over the years. Side by side, Jim and Jane travelled the wide world: the 50 states, the 10 provinces, Europe, China, India, Siberia, Australia and New Zealand, returning each time to their happy Kimberton home with new photographs, friends, perspectives and memories. Jim was a thinker - philosophical and spiritual - a lifelong student of human nature and management principles, with passions as down-to-earth as gardening and as ethereal as clairvoyance. At age 70 he wrote a philosophical novel in which aliens abduct a dairy farmer and educate him to save the human race. He also created poems, essays, and a moving Christmas letter each year. Jim was a hard worker, a devoted husband, father and grandfather, a friendly neighbor, and a great believer in service to others. He was active in Rotary and in later years volunteered with his church and Meals on Wheels. He was a lover of trees, flowers and birds, and a constant champion and exemplar of gratitude. He had a sparkle in his eye, and an abiding passion for the people in his life till the end. Jim is survived by his four children, Jan Turner (with spouse Russel Turner), Joan Dukovic, John Dukovic (with spouse Linda Frommer), and James M. Dukovic (with spouse Debbie Dukovic), and ten grandchildren Alex Turner (with fiancée Lola Shperdhaja), Bradley Turner (with spouse Christine Mehta), Eric Turner (with spouse Manami Turner), Christopher White, Brandon Dukovic, Kevin Dukovic, Anna Dukovic, Ethan Dukovic, Rachel Dukovic, and Kelsey Dukovic. He is predeceased by his sister Theresa Sigmund, his grandson Andrew Dukovic, and his beloved wife Jane Dukovic. A funeral service open to all will be held on Thursday, October 7th at the Church of St. Basil the Great in Kimberton, PA: 10:30 gathering and visitation, 11:00 mass, 12:15 burial ceremony at St. Ann's Cemetery in Phoenixville, followed by a luncheon at Limoncello Restaurant in Chester Springs. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jim's name to the Church of St. Basil the Great in Kimberton (http://stbasils.org) or to Mission for Educating Citizens with Autism (http://paalprogram.org). Arrangements are being handled by the Campbell-Ennis-Klotzbach Funeral Home, Inc. Condolences may be offered online at http://PhoenixvilleFuneralHome.com.

James G. Dukovic

January 19, 1926 - September 29, 2021