Eli D. Pronchick, 88, retired optometrist, WWII veteran

Dr. Eli D. Pronchick, 88, formerly of King of Prussia, a retired optometrist, opera enthusiast, and decorated World War II veteran, died of heart failure Aug. 27 at the home of his daughter Daria McDonough in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Dr. Pronchick grew up with eight siblings in Olney and graduated from Central High School, where he was on the fencing and tennis teams. He attended Villanova University and graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He later served on the school's faculty for 20 years.

During World War II, Dr. Pronchick served in the Army Air Force and flew 47 missions over Germany as a navigator in B24s. He was awarded an Air medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. He later served in the Air Force Reserve and was a liaison officer for the Air Force Academy, recruiting local students. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the early 1970s.

In 1951 Dr. Pronchick married Lubow Yonkovig a podiatrist he had met at a Ukrainian youth organization. The couple shared offices in Philadelphia and then in Bridgeport and in King of Prussia for more than 20 years. They retired in the early 1990s.

He and his wife, who was a polio survivor, often hosted handicapped children and senior citizens for picnics and swimming sessions in their home.

Dr. Pronchick served on the board of the Upper Merion Cultural Center. He arranged for Upper Merion middle school students to attend operas in Philadelphia and persuaded the Upper Merion Township Park and Recreation Department to add a classical music night to its Concerts Under the Stars summer series. In 2004 he asked the Delaware Valley Opera Company to perform Tosca. Dr. Pronchick, who was a member of the Valley Forge Optimist Club, enlisted the support of the club to fund the first opera presented by the series, which was free to the public.

Mr. Pronchick told a reporter at the time that he had become an opera fan while listening to the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday radio broadcast as a youth. When his air squadron was stationed in Italy in World War II, he heard Aida at the Royal Opera House in Rome. "A lot of people have heard bits and pieces of opera," he said, "To hear a full opera is quite an experience. It's an awakening."

Dr. Pronchick won awards for ballroom dancing and played competive tennis for more than 60 years. He was a member of the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

He attended services and taught religion to youth at SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bridgeport.

Dr. Pronchick's wife died in 2003. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by daughters Diana Ziemer and Dia Gainor; sons Danilo and David; 14 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

The funeral was Aug. 30 at the Basilica of St. Paul in Daytona, Fla. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 17 in  Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.