Harrison World War II veteran Howard Traenkner dies at 100

Howard Traenkner of Harrison was born at the end of one pandemic and died in the midst of another one.

A World War II Navy veteran, he was born as the Spanish flu pandemic was trailing off. He died Saturday, at 100, of natural causes, his family said.

“I think he was ready,” said Amy Lytle of Murrysville, his niece and caregiver. “He told me his body was giving out on him. I held his hand in his final moments.”

The past year had been difficult, because he wasn’t able to go out much. He was sad about the racial unrest last summer and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, she said.

Traenkner and his brothers’ names are engraved at the newly refurbished Harrison Honor Roll memorial, an honor he told the Tribune-­Review meant the world to him. His and his brothers’ names — George, who was in the Army, and Robert, a pilot in the Army Air Corps — and their years of service are etched on a bench nearby.

Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review

Howard Traenkner, shown in early November, just before his 100th birthday.

During World War II, Traenkner spent 12 months on the USS Chiwawa (AO-68), a refueling tanker. He said of his time in the Navy: “I am glad it was a part of my life and I was able to contribute something.”

Traenkner became teary-eyed when he recalled being on board a ship in the middle of a typhoon in Okinawa, Japan. He said he thought the ship was going to crack in half because of the horrendous 75-foot waves.

Traenkner got both covid-19 vaccine doses, his niece said, because he didn’t want to get anyone sick. Traenkner had been treated with radiation for cancer last year. He wasn’t one to give up easily, his niece said. Always the first one to share a joke, he retained his sense of humor, she said.

Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review

Howard Traenkner (left), of Harrison, died on March 27. He was 100 years old.

For his 100th birthday in November, Lytle had planned to host a big party, but because of the pandemic, it became an outdoor parade. Lytle’s mother, Janet Simpson, 90, is Traenkner’s sister. More than 60 vehicles filled with friends and family members drove by with their windows down, shouting “Happy birthday!”

“I am so glad we got to give him that parade,” Lytle said. “He said he wanted a parade like that every year.”

Bill Jeffcoat, of the Marine Corps League Detachment 827 from Springdale and a Vietnam veteran, attended the parade to honor Traenkner.

“Today is a sad day,” Jeffcoat said. “He really enjoyed that parade. He was a true gentleman.”

Traenkner enlisted in 1944. The Navy was chosen for him, he said.

He married Frances Rauscher in 1943, a year before he was drafted. The couple communicated via letters during the war. She died in 2008.

After the war, Traenkner earned a bachelor’s degree, assisted by the GI Bill, in mechanical engineering from University of Pittsburgh and went on to receive a master’s in mechanical engineering from Pitt.

He retired from Alcoa in 1982 after working there for 40 years. He and fellow retirees started a Thursday breakfast club. They would meet at Massart’s and then The Hometown in Tarentum. His 99th birthday party was at The Hometown. The breakfast club is where he met Lee Ann Jendrejeski of Lower Burrell. She came with her neighbor Bob Ramser of Lower Burrell, who worked with Traenkner.

“I can’t believe he is gone,” said Jendrejeski. “Every time I called him, he would say, ‘Thank you for calling, and I love you.’ I have a hole in my heart.”

Jendrejeski, Lytle, Traenkner’s driver, Nick Decroo of Harrison, and Traenkner’s nurse had lunch with him March 18. They enjoyed salads from the Anchor Inn in Harrison, Traenkner’s favorite restaurant. A friend brought him a cherry tart.

An avid golfer until he was 90, Traenkner was president of Brackenridge Heights Country Club for seven years.

Traenkner loved chocolate martinis, drumsticks from KFC, Isaly’s Klondike bars and Eat’n Park Smiley cookies.

He wrote his own obituary in 1997. In his will, he left his 2016 red Chevrolet Cruze to Decroo. Traenkner had to stop driving at 95 because of glaucoma. He asked Decroo to take him to appointments. Three years ago, on Route 28, he asked Decroo to see how fast the car could go.

“He told me he would pay for the speeding ticket if I got one,” said Decroo. “I can’t say how fast I went, but it was under his age at the time.”

Arrangements are being handled by Cicholski-Zidek Funeral Home in Harrison.

Visitation is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Faith Lutheran Church, in Harrison, where Traenkner was a member. Everyone is asked to meet at church.

Traenkner will receive full military honors by Vandergrift Veterans Honor Guard in Mt. Airy Cemetery in Harrison.

“He would have liked that,” Lytle said. “He was very proud of his service.”