Flavius Jankauskas

Flavius Jankauskas, 88, of Chalfont PA, passed away peacefully Thursday, November 6th, 2014 at his residence with his companion Elfriede at his side. Son of Zigmund & Vincenta Jankauskas, Flavius was born on August 21, 1926 and raised in Philadelphia, Pa. Short Wave Radio operation was Flavius's primary interest, communicating with countless people around the globe throughout his life. In 1940, at the young age of 16, he earned his HAM radio license in which the FCC originally assigned the "radio call letters" W3JAK. More recently his "radio call letters" were changed to K3JA which remained as his radio id to the present. In 1942, he also earned his Professional Commercial license, which enabled him to work at the Philadelphia radio stations WHAT and WIBG for a brief period. During the years 1942-43, in the midst of World War II, Flavius became a member of an organization called the Short Wave Amateur Monitors Club (SWAM), their noble mission to relay messages from many American POWs to their loved ones back home in the USA. Later on, his personal story was written about in a book titled "World War II Radio Heroes - Letters of Compassion" authored by Lisa Spahr. In 1944, Flavius joined the Merchant Marines as a radio officer. He remained active with the Merchant Marines until 1982. Flavius also had a passion for opera and was involved with several opera companies throughout his life including Delaware Valley Opera Company. He performed in Die Zauberflöte in 1984 as Sarastro, and La Traviata in 1985 as Dr. Grenvil. A proud patriot and Merchant Marine veteran, Flavius is survived by his long time friend and companion Elfriede, his children Audric and Karen, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to a gathering celebrating Flavius’s life 2-4:00 pm Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at the Shelly Funeral Home, 1460 Easton Road, Warrington.