Aug. 17, 2005--Walter Silowka, 57, of Allentown, Pa., died Aug. 14, after battling leukemia for 13 years.

Mr. Silowka earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at UD in 1970 and later received his master's degree in chemical engineering from Lehigh University. While a student at UD, he served as president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He received the Engineering Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1997, and he was a member of the Delaware Diamonds Society.

Born in New Brunswick, N.J., he graduated from South River High School, where he was a member of the debate team.

Mr. Silowka worked for Air Products & Chemicals for more than 31 years, including serving as process design engineer, section manager, senior process engineer, director of process technology and corporate engineering, director of process safety and reliability and director of process safety, systems, standards and industrial hygiene. He retired from the company on June 1.

Throughout his life, he was involved in the community and a was a member of several organizations, including the New Jersey Civil Air Patrol, New Jersey Rocketry Society, Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society, Delaware National Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown Art Museum, Zoellner Arts Center, American Ballet Theatre and the Lehigh County Historical Society. He was a founding member of the Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian and a voting board member of the Compressed Gas Association (CGA). He also was active in the Health and Safety Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Lehigh Valley Hospital.

He was a member of Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown.

Interested in nature and the outdoors, Mr. Silowka was a member of the Northeast Maryland Yacht Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Trexler Game Preserve, Wildlands Conservancy and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 10-2.

He was involved in his children's extracurricular activities and served as the YMCA. Youth Soccer assistant coach and a member of the South Parkland Youth Association for tee-ball.

He is survived by his wife, Linda (Reitars) Silowka; daughter, Lara Silowka of Dana Point, Calif.; sons, David Silowka and Jeffrey Colfer, both of Allentown; brother, Peter Wayne, and his wife, Debbie, of Robbinsville, N.J., sister, Dolores, and her husband, John Aniunas, of Bel Air, Md.; and three nephews.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the University of Delaware Chemical Engineering Scholarship Fund, c/o University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-0701; or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 9026, Pittsfield, MA 01202-9026.