Stephen NYIKOS

6 JUN 1921 - 28 FEB 2015

• BIRTH: 6 JUN 1921, South Bend, IN
• DEATH: 28 FEB 2015, Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• MARRIAGE: ABT 1943

INDEX

[N12515] Stephen Nyikos
June 6, 1921 - Feb. 28, 2015
SOUTH BEND - Stephen Nyikos, 93, passed away Saturday, February 28, 2015, at his home in Broken Arrow, OK. Mr. Nyikos was born June 6, 1921, in South Bend, IN, the oldest of Anna (Bella) and Stephen Nyikos's nine children. During World War II, Mr. Nyikos enlisted as a B-17 Bomber Pilot with the 8th Air Force, 356th Command Squadron. He piloted 35 combat missions over Germany, France and Belgium. He received a Purple Heart and numerous war medals. When he returned to the U.S., he and his wife, Julia, began to raise a family that would grow to include six boys and a girl Michael, James, Steven, Lawrence, Robert, Marianne and John. Mr. Nyikos made his career in the electronics industry. He was vice president of Radio Distribution Co. in Indianapolis, IN, and Nyikos, Inc., in Tulsa, OK. Mr. Nyikos was both a gentle soul and a trickster. He had a great sense of humor, a warm heart, and to the very end, enjoyed livening things up with a mischievous smile or joke. He enjoyed flying, golfing, traveling and camping, and he never said no to adventure. Mr. Nyikos is survived by his wife and best friend of 72 years, Julie (Krizman) Nyikos; his sister, Teresa ("Bootsie") Yates; his children, Mike, Steve, Larry, Marianne and John; seventeen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. A Rosary will be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, March 5, 2015, followed by a Funeral Mass at 1:00 PM, both at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Broken Arrow, OK. Leave a message to the family by visiting www.hayhurstfh.com and clicking online tributes. Hayhurst, 918-258-9623. Published in South Bend Tribune on Mar. 5, 2015