OSWEGO, NY – Dale A. Zych, 77, of Minetto, passed away at his home on Tuesday April 5, 2016, after a long illness.
He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Frieda and Alex Zych on April 8, 1938.
Dale received a BS degree from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland in 1961.
He then attended Ohio State University, earning his MS degree in 1963.
He then returned to Case and completed his PhD in 1967.
He was awarded a Post Doctoral position in Low Temperature Physics at Ohio State.
In 1971, he accepted an appointment at SUNY Oswego, where he carried out research with students until his retirement in 2015.
He enjoyed climbing in the Adirondacks, making furniture, playing tennis and golf.
Dale served as a long-time member of the Minetto Zoning Board of Appeals; he was a Club Master of Minetto Cub Scout Pack 614 for two years, and was active with his sons’ in 4-H.
He was an ordained Presbyterian Deacon and an active member of Faith United Church.
He taught Sunday school for more than 40 years, in Ohio and here in Oswego.
Dale is survived by his beloved and devoted wife, Diane; three sons, Matthew (Vanessa) Zych, John (Sherry) Zych and Fred (Jamie) Zych; his grandsons, Asher and Jonah Zych; a brother, Allen (Cathie) Zych from Carlsbad, Calif.; and a sister, Susan Doughman (Richard) from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
Calling hours will be held 4-7 p.m. Monday, April 11, at Nelson Funeral Home, 11 W. Albany St.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, at Faith United Church, 2 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive.
Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Faith United Church; the Rescue Mission, 120 Gifford St., Syracuse; the Human Concerns Center, 85 E. Fourth St., Oswego, or the Pacific Garden Mission, 1458 S. Canal St., Chicago, Illinois.
Dear DIane and family:
So saddened to hear of your loss of Dale. I’m sure it was a long year while he was ill but I hope you found ways to squeeze out good memories and a few (at least) laughs. My thoughts are with you all as you move through these difficult days and weeks ahead. May you make daily baby steps toward beginning new ways of being without your beloved Dale.
It’s always sad to hear someone has passed. This wonderful man called me when I was accepted into Oswego in 2010. We spoke for over an hour on the phone, talking about the physics program, as well as life itself. He spoke to me about playing tennis, and to never feel ashamed to ask for help. If it were not for this man, I wouldn’t have graduated on time in 2014. He has helped me so much through the years. He will be missed.
Dr. Zych was a brilliant professor and an amazing man. Even if I wasn’t looking forward to going to class I knew it would be worth it for his lecture. The way he spoke about why the physics worked and the history of it was beautiful. We never needed to know for exams, but it was always mentioned. He also had the best comments to add to what we were working on- I used to write them down I’m my notes (will have to go look for those now).
He touched the lives of many physics students and will be greatly missed. My condolences to his friends and family.
While I was a freshman at Oswego I decided to change my major to physics and I made an appointment with Dr. Zych to discuss it. I remember being a little nervous at first, but once I met him I found how nice and easy to talk to he was. He helped me get on track with my new major and continued advising me until I graduated. I ended up taking several classes with him and got the chance to see how brilliant and unique his mind was. In my senior year, I signed up for his Physics of Sound and Music class along with about a half dozen other seniors. It didn’t fulfill any course requirements, and it was designed for students with no physics background, but we took it anyway because Dr. Zych was teaching it and we knew as a result it would be a fun and interesting experience. I remember how every class he would come in, pushing this cart filled with lab equipment and musical instruments that he would then use for a demonstration (which was usually quite noisy) during class.
He was always there for his students, whether in teaching us, advising us, or helping us work out the problems in an experiment that we just couldn’t get to work right. He was the heart and soul of the physics department in so many ways, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like without him. He was an amazing person and an inspiration to so many of us. Rest in peace, Dr. Zych, you will be missed.