CLEVELAND, January 26 – Former BLE General Secretary-Treasurer and International Vice-President James L. “Jim” Voyk, 81, died Monday, January 23, 2006 at the Cleveland Clinic following a period of declining health. Brother Voyk lived in Brewster, Ohio.
Brother Voyk was elected to the position of International Vice-President at the Fourth Quinquennial Convention in 1986. He was elected General Secretary-Treasurer by the Advisory Board in 1989 upon the retirement of John D. Rinehart.
Brother Voyk began his railroad career as a fireman on the Wheeling and Lake Erie in 1947 and was promoted to the position of locomotive engineer on the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1952. He joined BLE Division 360 (Massillon, Ohio) in 1949 and later transferred to Division 358 (Toledo, Ohio). He served as Local Chairman of Division 358 from 1958 to 1977. From 1977 until his election to the position of Vice-President in 1986, he was the General Chairman on the Norfolk & Western.
Brother Voyk was born in Brewster on March 30, 1924 to the late Embro “Jim” and Katherine (Gundock) Voykovich and had lived all of his life in Brewster.
He was a WWII Army Veteran, serving with the Army Aviation Engineers Battalion in the South Pacific. He was a member of St. Therese Catholic Church in Brewster, Brewster American Legion and the Croatian Lodge.
On July 29, 1950, he married Alice Marie “Judy” Lyons. She survives. Also surviving are two sons, James (Carol Todd) Voyk, Jr. of Wakeman and Joseph Voyk of the home; two grandchildren, Alecia (Brian) Good and Christopher Voyk; a great grandson, Tyler Good; a brother, Edward (Pat) Voyk of Canton.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Therese Catholic Church or to the American Cancer Society.
“Brother Voyk served this organization well and with pride for many years,” BLET National President Don M. Hahs said. “I offer my condolences to his family on behalf of all the officers, staff and members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.”