Konstanty Cyril ‘Cy’ Masiulaniec, 1952-2012: UT engineering teacher studied airplane deicing

3/12/2012
BY JIM SIELICKI
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Konstanty Cyril “Cy” Masiulaniec, a longtime faculty member at the University of Toledo’s college of engineering whose numerous publications delved into airplane deicing issues, died March 4 at his Waterville home. He was 59.

He died after a 10-year battle with a rare carcinoid tumor, said Betty Ann Masiulaniec, his wife of nearly 30 years.

He was born March 26, 1952, in England but moved to Toledo as a child of 3 or 4 years because his father, a native of Poland who escaped the war, and his English-born mother wanted to start a new life.

Mr. Masiulaniec attended St. Adalbert grade school and graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1970, where he met Betty Ann.

The two became reacquainted at their 10-year high school class reunion and married two years later.

Mr. Masiulaniec earned bachelor’s and master’s engineering degrees from the University of Toledo and a doctorate from the University of Toledo in 1987.

His first job after graduating from UT with his master’s was with Standard Oil Co. in Cleveland, but the desire to raise a family lured him back to Toledo. “He always wanted to teach and have a family, but with Standard Oil, there was a lot of travel involved,” Mrs. Masiulaniec said.

He spent four summers as a faculty fellow at NASA Lewis in Cleveland performing research and obtaining grants.

After two years as a UT visiting professor, Mr. Masiulaniec was named an associate professor in UT’s department of mechanical, industrial, and manufacturing engineering, where he taught for 30 years.

Despite his illness, he met with students and taught up until Feb. 29, Mrs. Masiulaniec said.

He frequently attended conferences on behalf of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and published papers in the field of icing phenomena, she said.

“He presented his papers often, but he was real quiet about it,” Mrs. Masiulaniec said.

He enjoyed tinkering with engines and rebuilding cars and was fond of fishing and vacationing on the East Coast.

Mr. Masiulaniec is survived by his wife, Betty Ann Masiulaniec; daughters, Wendy Patton Caris, Kelly St. Pierre, and Elizabeth Masiulaniec; son, Jon Masiulaniec; seven grandchildren, and his mother, Florence.

A memorial service will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday in the SSOE seminar room in Nitschke Hall, in the UT college of engineering building, 1610 Westwood Ave.

Memorials are suggested to the liver cancer research fund of the University of Michigan or to the University of Toledo Foundation’s MIME Department Progress Fund.

Contact Jim Sielicki at: jsielicki@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.