John Walter Para Sr

John (Hap) Walter Para, Sr, 82, of Manassas, went to heaven on December 25, 2013. He was born on November 23, 1931 in Carbondale, PA, and raised in the township of White’s Crossing. He acquired his nickname Hap (Happy) as a youth which he proudly carried through his life. He married Joann Marie Swencionis on October 26, 1957 and devoted 56 years of his life to her and their children. He was a crew chief and a veteran of the United States Air Force and later studied engineering with Broome Technical Institute which began his career in technology. He worked for Link Aviation at Travis Airforce Base, CA collaborating with pilots and astronauts as a flight simulator programmer. He then worked with the US Department of Defense which took his family to live in Germany for six years and later transferred to the Washington, DC area where he remained with his family and retired in 1993. John was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus at All Saints Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Joanie, his sons John Walter Para, II and R. Joseph Para; his daughters Lynn Renee Para, Lisa Marie Toth, and Lori Ann Para; his grandchildren Christina Lee Para, Austin Joseph Para, Melissa Caitlin Para, Heather Marie Toth, Amanda Lynn Toth, and Michael Todd Para; great-grandchild Eleyna Paige Para, his sisters Roberta Helen Sefchick and Barbara Mae Flederbach. He was preceded in death by his father Joseph John Para, his mother Maryann Shedlock Para, his granddaughter Taneha Terace Para, his brother Joseph Michael Parra, his son-in-law Edward Billington Toth, and his sister Rosemarie Ann Prsybylski. John Walter Para, Sr. was a loving husband and an extremely devoted family man. We will miss his sense of humor, charm, and smile. Please join the family to celebrate his life: Viewing: Sunday, December 29, 2013 from 2 - 4 p.m. and 7 - 9 p.m. Pierce Funeral Home 9609 Center St. Manassas, VA 20110 Telephone: (703) 257-6028 Website: http://www.piercefh.com/ Funeral: Monday, December 30, 2013 at 11 a.m. All Saints Catholic Church 9300 Stonewall Rd, Manassas, VA 20110 Reception: Knights of Columbus Hall, Church site Burial: Thursday, January 2 at 10 a.m. Quantico National Cemetery 18424 Joplin Road (Route 619) Triangle, VA 22172

John Walter Para Sr

November 23, 1931 - December 25, 2013