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The Life of Eugene Chovanes

EUGENE CHOVANES, 90, Philadelphia Lawyer
Eugene Chovanes, Esq., 90, was the patriarch of the Chovanes family, married to his beloved wife Claire (nee Puhak) for 64 years, a father of five children, a graduate of Hazleton High School, Lehigh University and Villanova Law School, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean conflict, an engineer, a professor at Villanova Law School, an attorney in Philadelphia and the surrounding area at his law firm Jackson and Chovanes for over 55 years, an accomplished writer, poet and dancer, a conservationist, and a philanthropist, doing many acts of charity large and small.
Gene Chovanes was born in Hazleton PA on New Year’s Day 1926.  His father Michael Chovanes was a coal miner and, along with his mother, Anna (Watro) Chovanes, had 9 children.  His father’s dangerous work, love and care for his family was something Gene took to heart.  He wrote about his father, who he called Pop:
Coal
Anthracite coal
Shiny
Hard
Black
Pop mined you in the dark
He saved the sunshine for me
As with so many of The Greatest Generation, Gene went to war, serving his country in both World War II and afterwards, from 1943-1946, as a Staff Sargent with the 1123rd Combat Engineers.  He was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge as well as two other major actions.  Gene remained on reserve status following the war.
Gene attended Temple University for a semester, then Lehigh University, initially as a member of its football team.  Gene graduated from Lehigh as a mechanical engineer in 1950 and started work as an engineer at Worthington Pump Co., Philadelphia PA.
He met his beloved Claire on a trip back to Hazleton in 1950 and their first date was to the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia that year.  Another war interrupted the beginnings of their life together and Gene served once again, this time in Korea as a 1st lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps, 1951-1952.
When he returned from Korea, he and Claire were married on March 27, 1952.  
Gene began to apprentice in the field of patent law, an interest since his father had received two patents.  In 1957, he began at the Philadelphia law firm of Joseph Grey Jackson and Sons as a patent clerk, and also began an academic career as both a student at Villanova Law School and a Lecturer in Patent Law.  He graduated from Villanova Law School in 1960 and taught there as an adjunct professor in patent law until 1980.
Gene rose rapidly to partnership at his firm, since renamed Jackson and Chovanes, and remained as partner, in the office every day until he retired at the age of 88.
Gene was a brilliant lawyer, working in every area from force flow through mechanical components to two cases before the Supreme Court that fundamentally changed patent law, Markman and Festo.  He was a member and officer of many professional organizations including the American Bar Association, Philadelphia Intellectual Property Law Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, Society Registered Professional Engineers and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Gene was a kind and generous man who gave to many people.  He had an artist’s soul in many ways and was a dancer, poet and award-winning writer.
Above all, Gene was most proud of his family. Claire, his children and their families, his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his nieces and nephews and other relatives and those who became part of his family though unrelated by blood or marriage.  He strove to keep his family together and to provide the best for them through good times and bad; the poem he wrote about his dad could be about Gene's love and care of his family too, throughout his long and full life.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at St. Matthias Church, Bala Cynwyd, PA with internment at West Laurel Hill Cemetery to follow.  Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent in the Eugene’s memory to St. Matthias Church, 128 Bryn Mawr Ave., Bala Cynwyd Pa 19004.

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Military Service

War:
World War II
Branch:
United States Army
Rank:
Staff Sergeant

War:
Korea
Branch:
United States Army
Rank:
First Lieutenant