Dr. Leonard Saltysiak, 77, optometrist for 50 years Dr...

Dr. Leonard Saltysiak, 77, optometrist for 50 years

Dr. Leonard T. Saltysiak, an optometrist who practiced for five decades and grew roses that he gave to strangers, died Friday of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. He was 77.

He maintained offices in Timonium and Parkton for 20 years and later worked out of several offices in Baltimore. He worked until seven weeks before his death.

Born and raised in the Govans area of Baltimore, as a boy he worked as a caddy at the Country Club of Maryland in Towson to earn money to help support his five siblings. He was a longtime golfer and taught his seven children how to play from the time they were toddlers.

A 1942 graduate of Towson Catholic High School, he served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, he graduated from Columbia University School of Optometry in 1950.

He married Rose McIntyre in 1948. She died in 1995.

Besides golf, Dr. Saltysiak's other hobby was growing roses, including miniature roses, and also evening primroses.

He tended rose gardens at Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Martin's Rectory in Baltimore.

He loved to surprise friends and strangers with gifts of tiny roses, said his sister, Mary B. Ford of Baltimore.

"Everywhere he went, he would put roses on people," said Mrs. Ford. "He brought happiness to so many people just giving out those roses."

He also invited friends to small social gatherings to watch his evening primroses bloom, she said.

A funeral Mass will be offered at 9:30 a.m. today at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 101 Church Lane, Texas.

In addition to his sister, he is survived by three sons, Mark Saltysiak of Hampstead, Robert Saltysiak of Baltimore and James Saltysiak of New Brighton, Minn.; two daughters, Trish Rice of Shrewsbury, Pa., and Mary Magenta of Scottsville, Ky.; two brothers, Francis Saltysiak of Baltimore and Louis Soltysiak of Orlando, Fla.; and eight grandchildren.

Albert Abraham Pachino, 92, food distributor

Albert Abraham Pachino, a retired food distributor, died Friday after a fall in an assisted-living facility in Pikesville. He was 92.

Long retired from his family distribution business, Mr. Pachino enjoyed being introduced as "the real Al Pacino" in his son's restaurant, Hersh's Orchard Inn, in Towson.

Born in Woodbine in 1908, the fifth of nine children of Russian immigrants, he was the first in his family to be born in the United States.

At age 12, he left school to work on the family farm. He often helped take produce into Baltimore by horse and buggy.

In the early 1930s, as the Depression was worsening, the Pachino family moved to Baltimore, where Mr. Pachino and his father, Hyman, started H. W. Pachino Food Distributors. The company became known for its sour cream and butter with the Sun-Brite label.

Mr. Pachino married Sylvia Raven of Baltimore in 1933. They moved from the city to Baltimore County in 1966, a year after Mr. Pachino sold his company and retired.

Largely self-taught, Mr. Pachino took adult education courses. He was an officer of two synagogues he belonged to, Shaarei Tfiloh in West Baltimore and Suburban Orthodox Congregation on Seven Mile Lane. In his spare time, he liked to do repairs.

His son Hershel R. Pachino once said to his dapper father, who had become a sort of ambassador at his restaurant, "You're going to be a tough act to follow," because Mr. Pachino had such a strong ethic of service to customers.

Services were held yesterday.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Pachino is survived by another son, Rabbi Marvin B. Pachino of Toronto; a daughter, Rosalind Pachino Shanker of Baltimore; nine grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.

Douglas C. Kearns, 73, Domino Sugar manager

Douglas C. Kearns, a retired production manager at Domino Sugar Corp. who enjoyed singing Irish ballads, died Tuesday of colon cancer at his Catonsville home. He was 73.

He joined Domino in 1951 and retired 30 years later.

The Baltimore native graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in English, said his wife of 50 years, the former Joan Service. "He was crazy about books," she said, recalling that her husband checked out five books a week from the library. He wrote several books but never had them published, she said.

Mr. Kearns served in the Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean War.

He was a Saturday night regular at Mick O'Shea's Irish Pub on Charles Street in downtown Baltimore. A member of the Table 20 group, he would meet with friends to sing and play the "bones," a simple musical instrument he made from cherry wood from a tree in his back yard. Recently, he taught his 9-year-old granddaughter, Meghan, to play the bones, his wife said.

Mr. Kearns enjoyed singing anywhere and everywhere, said his wife, who described his voice as a rich tenor. "He had I don't know how many thousands of songs he kept track of," said his wife.

Mr. Kearns raised tomatoes and vegetables and flowers in his back yard.

A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Patronage of Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church, 1260 Stevens Ave., Arbutus.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Kearns is survived by a son, Douglas Patrick Kearns, and a daughter, Mary Patricia Kearns, both of Baltimore; a brother, Joseph Kearns of New Jersey; two sisters, Jewell Battle of Greensboro, N.C., and Jane Wagner of Ocean City; and two grandchildren.

Funeral Mass

Frank X. Gallagher: A memorial Mass for former City Council President Frank X. Gallagher will be offered at 10 a.m. today at St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church, 5502 York Road in Govans.

Mr. Gallagher, who served on the City Council for 28 years beginning in 1959, died Wednesday. He was 75.