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James W. Sedlak, 78, of Fredericksburg, Virginia passed away peacefully on Monday, January 10, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Michaeleen; his adoring children and their spouses, Frank (Anne) of Cary, NC, Jeanette (Rocco) of Oxford, CT, and Terri Lynn (Jim) of Seymour, CT; his nine grandchildren who admired him, Ashley, Adriana, Alexandria (Abraham), Cassie, Gina, Angelo, Rocco Jr., Brittany, and Stephanie; and his sibling Ronald (Mary) of Lancaster, PA. He is predeceased by his parents Jacob and Catherine Sedlak.
Jim was a Third Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Council 4034, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
In his professional career, Jim taught physics at Marymount High School in New York City. He worked 30 years for the IBM Corporation as a research physicist and as manager of its corporate new products release and control methodologies. He retired from IBM in 1993 to devote a full-time effort to the pro-life cause. He was executive director of American Life League and a recognized expert on Planned Parenthood (PP).
In his life, Jim also served as president of a Parent Teachers Organization, was guest lecturer in a course on medical ethics at Mt. St. Mary’s College in Newburgh, New York, and from 1986 to 1992 was an annual guest lecturer in ethics courses at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He cofounded and was director of STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood International) from 1986 to 1994. Jim joined the pro-life movement in 1980. His honors included the 1984 Dutchess County Right to Life’s Pro-Lifer of the Year Award, the 1987 Expectant Mother Care’s New York Pro-Life Champion Award, the 1987 Parent’s Roundtable’s Family Life Award, the 1988 American Life League’s Unsung Hero Award, and the 1993 Distinguished Service to Life Award from pro-lifers in Grand Haven. In 1993, Jim was identified by Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) as one of the 15 “most active†fighters against PP sex education programs. In 1995, PPFA featured Jim in two segments of its anti-life film Unholy Alliance. Jim was a featured speaker at numerous statewide pro-life conventions. |