Edward Junker

Edward P. “Ted” Junker III passed away peacefully on Saturday December 10, 2016 with family and friends by his side. He was born in Carnegie, PA on January 20, 1937, the son of the late Mary and Edward P. Junker, Jr. Ted was an extraordinary husband, father, grandfather, friend and leader in the greater Erie and Penn State communities.

In 1964 Ted brought his young family to Erie, joining Marine Bank (now PNC Financial) as Assistant Vice President. Ted quickly became involved in the community, joining many Erie clubs and serving on many community boards. His involvement and gregarious nature led him to excel at business development. His strong work ethic and leadership skills propelled him to the rank of Chief Executive Officer of Marine in 1983, and Director of PNC in 1985. Ted was instrumental in PNC’s growth in northwestern PA, and he later retired as a Vice Chairman in 1997.

A graduate of Penn State in 1959 and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers in 1969, Ted and his late wife Barbara, a 1957 graduate of Penn State, were strong believers in the power of education. He served on the Penn State Board of Trustees from 1986 to 2010, chaired the Board for several years, and was named Trustee Emeritus in 2010. He also headed the Board of Directors of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center from 2000 to 2009, shepherding a time of great expansion and growth for the institution. Also a former chairman of the Council of Fellows at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, he proudly served as a Council member from 1974 until his death.

Ted was a generous man, giving freely of his time, expertise and financial resources. He served on and chaired numerous capital campaigns for Penn State and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Ted and Barbara endowed Penn State Erie with a $2 million gift in 1997, and established two scholarship funds at the College. The Junkers highly valued the lessons taught by athletic competition, and in 2001 the Penn State Erie Athletic Center was named the “Junker Center” in their honor. They also contributed to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where the auditorium was named after Junker in 2009.

Ted was a member of the first board of directors of the Big Ten Network, and a member and Treasurer of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority. He also served as Chairman of Hamot Medical Center and Hamot Health Foundation, and as trustee and treasurer of the Erie Community Foundation. He was a board member at Autoclave Engineers, Inc., Erie Industrial Truck, Inc., Great Lakes Research Institute, Greater Erie Charity Golf Classic, Leadership Erie, MDA, Harborcreek School for Boys, United Way of Erie and Pennsylvania, and Visiting Nurse Association (VNA). Lastly, for 25 years, he served on the Erie Zoological Society board, helping the zoo to become the regional gem that it is today. Every summer he proudly showed his grandchildren the zoo’s improvements, and introduced them to its newest residents.

For his efforts, Junker received the Pennsylvania State University Philip Mitchell Alumni Service Award in 1984, as well as being named Alumni Fellow in the College of Health and Human Development and at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College in 1987. In 2011, Junker received Penn State University’s highest individual honor - the Distinguished Alumni Award. He also received The Americans for Competitive Enterprise System, Inc. Outstanding Citizen Award in 1992; the Alexis de Trocqueville Society Award – United Way of Erie County in 1994; the Gannon University Distinguished Pennsylvanian Award in 1995; Erie & Chautauqua Magazine Man of the Year in 1997; and in 2012 was selected by the Erie Community Foundation for the Edward C. Doll Community Service Award.

The only thing that exceeded Ted’s passion for Erie and Penn State was his passion for his family, his grandchildren and his many friends. Ted and Barb were avid golfers and they had many happy times on the links at Lakeshore and Kahkwa with their friends. As young parents, they spent many weekends and school nights at local and distant swimming pools and athletic events cheering on their three daughters. He and Barb hosted huge PSU tailgates for the entire Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and they enjoyed many a weekend at PSU with their Erie and Penn State friends. Every summer “grandpa” hosted the entire family at “Club Ted” on Lake Erie, with big bonfires and trips to Waldameer Park, memories of which his seven grandchildren cherish to this day. He and Barb regularly planned family vacations for the entire clan to warm sunny locales during the cold Pennsylvania winters.

Ted was fortunate in his later years to have found a second love in Frances Cox Nodland. Fran, also a Penn State graduate, quickly became a beloved member of the extended Junker clan. They enjoyed traveling between their homes and families in Pennsylvania and Florida, hosting family vacations and visiting their many Penn State friends. Ted was an active member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity throughout his life, and was recognized as a “Significant Sig” - the highest honor awarded by the National Fraternity.

Ted taught his children and grandchildren by example and he set high standards for all of them. He was proud of their accomplishments and yet taught them not to rest on their laurels. He was always extremely generous with his support of his family. He was greatly loved and will be missed more than words can express.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Barbara F. Junker.

Ted is survived by his special friend and companion Fran Nodland; three daughters: Liz Bond and her husband Mike of Tampa, FL, Barbara Smith and her husband Charlie of Pittsburgh, and Susan Feyock and her companion Ron Pollie of Wesley Chapel, FL; seven grandchildren: Daniel, Stacia and James Korman, Ryan and Eleana Smith, Stephanie Smith Bottles and Andrew Feyock; and great grandson Keenan Smith.

Friends are invited to call on the family on Friday December 16th at the Burton Westlake Funeral Home, 3801 West 26th St. (at Powell Ave.) from 1pm – 5pm and 6-8pm and Saturday December 17th from 10am until the time of the service at 12pm with Msgr. David Rubino presiding. Burial to follow at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to:

The Edward P. and Barbara F. Junker Scholarship Fund at Behrend

Penn State Erie the Behrend College

4215 Station Rd. Erie, 16563

The Erie Zoological Society 423 West 38th Street, Erie, PA 16508

The Erie Community Foundation 459 West 6th Street, Erie, PA 16507