Mr. Svec, retired vice president of materials management for St. Elizabeth Medical Center, died Friday at Baptist Convalescent Center in Newport. He was 72.

Born in Johnstown, Pa., in 1932, he was an outfielder as a baseball player, said his son Christopher of Union.

Mr. Svec followed the Reds, but especially loved anything to do with Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers, his son said. But he left the diamond behind.

"He got married," said his son. "He decided to use his education instead of his athletic ability."

In little more than a year, Mr. Svec and his wife, Carol Hrescak Svec, welcomed their first of four boys.

He worked as a pharmacist for 27 years at Memorial Hospital in Cumberland, Md., and was recruited by St. Elizabeth in 1977 to head the materials management department, his son said.

In his position at the hospital, Mr. Svec oversaw the areas of purchasing, the warehouse, inventory and supplies, said a spokeswoman for St. Elizabeth.

His son said Mr. Svec purchased most of the equipment needed for St. Elizabeth's south unit in Edgewood when it opened in 1978.

Mr. Svec attended the Detroit Institute of Technology and lived with his aunt. His aunt's son was mentally retarded, and it left an impression on Mr. Svec, Christopher said.

Mr. Svec volunteered for causes that benefited the mentally retarded, working with the Northern Kentucky Association for the Mentally Retarded for several years, his son said.

In Maryland, Mr. Svec had volunteered for many years with International Order of Alhambra and Knights of Columbus - both Catholic fraternal organizations.

Mr. Svec coached his boys' basketball and baseball teams and was a trainer for their football team, Christopher said.

"He was just a great father, and a good grandfather," he said. "He put his family first."

Mr. Svec's first wife, Carol Hrescak Svec, a stay-at-home mom, died in 1981.

"I don't know how she put up with five guys in the house, but she was in charge," said his son.

Mr. Svec met his second wife, Betty Germann Svec, at St. Elizabeth, where she was head nurse in the operating room, his son said.

Mr. Svec was an usher and member of the finance committee at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger, and instituted a purchase order system for use by the church's other committees. The church's pastor said the money saved by the purchase orders was enough to help the church pay for a recent remodeling, Mr. Svec's son said.

Other survivors include three other sons, Robert Jr. of Delhi, Geno of Florence and Gerald of Independence; his mother, Elizabeth Svec of Johnstown, Pa., and seven grandchildren.

Visitation will be 9-10 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial following at 10 a.m. Monday at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger. Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home in Erlanger is handling arrangements. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Erlanger.

Memorials: Mary Queen of Heaven Church, 1150 Donaldson Highway, Erlanger, KY 41018 or International Order of the Alhambra, 4200 Leeds Ave., Baltimore, MD 21229

E-mail cmayhew@enquirer.com