George S. Kukuchek; Oil Executive

George Stephen Kukuchek, a longtime resident of Ventura and a retired vice president of Vetco Offshore, has died at age 70 after a brief battle with lung cancer.

Kukuchek was born in 1926 in Schenectady, N.Y. After serving in the Army, which he joined at age 17, he attended Oregon State College, now a state university, graduating with an electrical engineering degree in 1948.

After college, Kukuchek worked for Shell Oil Co. for 28 years, retiring in 1976 as the manager of transportation and supplies for the company’s West Coast division. Upon leaving Shell, Kukuchek and his family moved to Ventura, where he started a second career at Vetco Offshore.

When Kukuchek retired from Vetco Offshore in 1985, he had reached the position of vice president of the company’s operations in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Kukuchek was an avid choir singer, and his bass solos were often heard during performances by Ventura’s First United Methodist Church Choir and the Gold Coast Concert Choir. He also worked with the community service program Project Understanding and served for a year on the Ventura County Grand Jury.

Kukuchek is survived by his wife, Echo, sons Mark, Paul and Bruce, and seven grandchildren.

Services will be Monday at First United Methodist Church in Ventura. Funeral arrangements and cremation are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home.

Aguilar, Pablo Sanchez, 72, of Oxnard, maintenance man at Saticoy Moose Lodge. Garcia Mortuary, Oxnard.

Mercado, Bertha H., 76, of Port Hueneme, homemaker. Garcia Mortuary, Oxnard.

Michaud, Knox Sr., 65, of Oxnard, electronic technician for the U.S. government. James A. Reardon Mortuary, Oxnard.

Nava, Michael David, 27, of Oxnard, waiter. Garcia Mortuary, Oxnard.

Wade, Harold E., 88, of Port Hueneme, director of purchasing for People’s Gas Light Co. James A. Reardon Mortuary, Oxnard.

Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.