IT WASN'T A good idea to mess with Abel Pasicznyk.
There was the time he was stopped in his car by a cop, who gave him what Abel considered an undeserved ticket.
Not long after that, Abel, who was in the electrical contracting business, got a call to a home with an electrical problem.
And there was the cop!
Not the forgiving type, Abel let the cop find somebody else to fix his electrical problem.
"He was a tough SOB," said his son, Barry Pasicznyk.
There was the time, his son said, when his father was at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and didn't want to stay.
"Let me out of here!" he hollered.
"He checked himself out," his son said. "As he was going down the hall to the exit, the doctor was running behind him waving his medical records."
Abel Pasicznyk, a native ofUkraine who became "all American," his son said, a whiz at electronic technology who helped keep American ships communicating during World War II, and a community activist, died Oct. 26. He was 88 and lived in Fairmount.
He died of complications during surgery for a fractured hip.
"He was a character," his son said. "He was straight forward, no bull----, but he had a good heart."
Abel was born in Rohatyn in western Ukraine. His parents, Dmytro "Metro" Pasicznyk and the former Amelia Ozarkiw, came to America when Abel was 3. The family lived for a time in New York and Scranton before moving to Philadelphia. Abel attended Benjamin Franklin High School.
Growing up in the 1930s, Abel became interested in the emerging technologies of radio and electrical systems. He basically taught himself the skills to master this developing technology.
During World War II, Abel worked on Liberty and Merchant Marine ships at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and the Cramp Shipyard in Camden. He worked on the radio and electrical systems on the ships and classified radar and mine-detection equipment.
He often traveled aboard these vessels when they shipped out, including trips to England which was famous for its superiority in war ships as the world war roared on.
Abel was one of the first ham-radio operators when that technology was in its infancy. His call sign was K3LYB. He was active in amateur-radio circles, and helped others train for their FCC licenses.
After the war, Abel started his electrical-contracting business, operating mostly in Center City and North Philadelphia. He became a popular figure in those areas. His customers in North Philly always called him "Mr. Abel." You couldn't have expected them to pronounce his last name.
During that time he met Rosemarie Bukata, daughter of Mary and Stanley Bukata, formerly of Gardenville, Bucks County. They married on Sept. 26, 1948.
They settled in the Fairmount/Art Museum neighborhood, with frequent stays at their "farm" getaway in Danboro, Bucks County.
Abel was a founding member and secretary of the Independent Electrical Contractors Association of Philadelphia, which worked for better standards, licensing and inspections of electrical contractors in the city.
He and his wife Rosemarie were active in community affairs. They helped to found the Fairmount Parents Business & Neighbors Association, a neighborhood improvement group in the late 1960s.
Abel also worked with the late state Sen. Frank Lynch in community-improvement activities, including the Model Cities Program. Lynch, who represented the 2nd Senatorial District that serves the Fairmount area, died in 1993.
Besides his wife and son, Abel is survived by two other sons, Alan and David; a sister, Olga Kuziw; and two grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter, Lisa Reed.
Services: Were Tuesday. Burial was at Mechanicsville Cemetery, Mechanicsville, Pa.