Paul Yashko died September 6, 2005 of cancer of the stomach. Born July 6, 1920 in Jerome, PA, he was the 10th of 14 children born to Nikolai and Anna Yasko. He grew up in Conemaugh and Johnstown, PA.

After graduating from high school, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where one of the projects he worked on was Camp David. At the outbreak of WWII, he worked as a welder in the Baltimore shipyards, then joined the Army Air Corps. He initially served with the 8th Air Force in England, but was later selected for a reconnaissance photography unit at Poltava Air Base in the Soviet Union.

He married Ruth Evans February 22, 1946. They were later divorced. He studied pre-med and received a bachelors degree at the University of Utah and a masters degree in Russian at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked for the CIA’s foreign language and scientific intelligence divisions in Washington, D.C. Returning to school, he earned a degree in electrical engineering from Brigham Young University.

He worked for the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, CO, and later for Boeing Aircraft & Aeronautics where he worked on the Saturn V project at Cape Kennedy. He continued to work as an electronics engineer in the aerospace industry at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids, IA, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, OH, and at Hill Air Force Base and Morton Thiokol in Ogden, UT.

Following retirement, he moved to Florida, but had recently returned to Utah and was living with his daughter in Lehi at the time of his death. Paul was a member of Mensa and will be remembered for his love of knowledge and learning, his mechanical and linguistic skills, and his generosity.

He is survived by his children Nancy Strode (Mike), Angela Roberts (Bill), Paula Davis (Craig), and Greg Yashko (Cindy), his 21 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, and his sister Anna Cummings.

He was preceded in death by his daughter Sonya Reid Vancil.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 10, at Noon at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center, Logan, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to services beginning at 11:00 AM. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at Allen Mortuaries.