Albert F. Blatnik's Obituary
Albert F. Blatnik, age 76, of North Ridgeville, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at Joshua Tree Care Center in North Olmsted surrounded by family. He was born in Cleveland to Ann (nee Pocisk) and Albert Blatnik and had been a resident of North Ridgeville for the past 6 years after moving from Parma. Al was a proud American soldier and story teller with a passion for fishing. He served in the U.S. Army, spending two tours in Vietnam, followed by another 18 years as a infantryman and artist for the Ohio National Guard. He was a star athlete on the Maple Heights High School wrestling team and enjoyed playing baseball as a kid. He was an avid Cleveland sports fan and enjoyed attending games with family throughout his lifetime. As a young man, he enjoyed fishing, golfing, bowling, drawing, painting, and volunteering at the local Rodmakers. He spent his later years fishing whenever he could, earning Fish Ohio Recognition program pins every year for his catches. When he wasn’t fishing, he designed intricate custom fishing rods and lures. After an early retirement from Ameritech, Al worked as a material handler and lead tow motor / trainer at Automated Packaging Systems, where he retired from in 2019. He also enjoyed working part time many summers at Bedford Glenns as a handy man and delivering landscape materials.
Albert is survived by his wife of 53 years Bonnie, daughters Missy (Shawn) Kraft, Nikki Robinkoff, cat Georgie, sister Christine (Ron) Cerankowski, grand-dog Max, and grand-cats Lucy, Luke, and Leia. He was preceded in death by his parents Ann and Albert Blatnik, siblings Bertie, Marilyn, Tommy, and Joyce, and stepfather Jim.
A graveside service will be held at 1:15pm on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery 10175 Rawiga Road, Seville, OH 44273. If you are joining us, please arrive at the cemetery no later than 1pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Joshua Tree Care Center.
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