John Walter Muzatko

January 27, 1939 - July 18, 2024

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Sunset View Mortuary

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Jack Muzatko was born in Boise, ID on January 27, 1939, to John Muzatko and Helene Belsher
Muzatko, and he died at his home in Pinole, CA on July 18, 2024. Jack attended schools in
Boise, was active in Boy Scouts, and loved hunting and fishing, and exploring the outdoors.
After graduating from Boise High in 1957, he attended Boise Junior College and then Oregon
State University in 1961 with a BS in Chemistry. After graduating, he headed “north to Alaska”
and worked as a chemist at the BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System) in Clear, Alaska.
After a couple of years, he moved to the opposite end of the Pacific Coast, Long Beach, CA
where he met his wife, Marlana. He worked for Shell Oil as a chemist before moving again in
1966 to Northern, CA to work for Chevron Research as a staff scientist in fuels chemistry for
nearly 40 years. They bought a house in Pinole where he has lived ever since. He and his wife
divorced in 1973. With Jack’s work, he experienced a lot of travel for business which he
thoroughly enjoyed. He also traveled in his private life to places like Australia, Nepal, Russia,
Greece, Hawaii (where he actually flew in a small plane over an erupting volcano), and
Czechoslovakia. He especially loved the Sierras and Yosemite, and of course had to check out
Alaska again. He had a myriad of hobbies such as international mushroom hunting (mycology
forays), fishing in Idaho streams and rivers, dredging for gold, searching for opals in Australia,
finding and transplanting alpine plants to his beautiful rock garden, and 3D photography. He
was always finding new hobbies to add to the old to make his life more than interesting, the
most unique being faceting gemstones and creating beautiful synthetic opals. He even had
several patents.

He is survived by his sister Carol Ann Henson (Boise), his niece Laila Hardman and Rich (Boise),
and nephew Kam Henson and Wendy (Boise), along with his great niece and great nephews,
Mikaila Hardman and Jason Lopez (Vacaville), Niko Hardman (Salt Lake City), Cooper Henson
(Seattle) and Ian Henson (Boise).

As per his request, there will be no service.

Sunset View Mortuary

No Services

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Sorry to hear about Jack. I always enjoyed the 3D photos he entered in the Hollywood Exhibition and other PSA photo contests. He always showed his sense of humor. He will be missed.

To Mat Bergman: The family of John Walter Muzatko thanks you for planting a tree in his memory.

The family of John Walter Muzatko thanks you for planting a tree in his memory.

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

Jack was a brilliant macro photographer with an eye for the beauty of nature and a ready sense of humor. He was always inventive in his stereophotography, yet self-effacing about it. I always looked forward to seeing his unique vision each month. He was so full of life, which is how I will always remember him.

I'm so very sorry to hear of this sad news. I knew Jack through the National Stereoscopic Association. I loved his shows and images. He was so very clever and was such a good photographer. He was such a dear and happy person. Always with the smile. Know that he will be dearly missed.

I'm so sorry, Jack. You created so many funny stereograms that always made people smile or groan or both. You were even doing some of your best work most recently, so it's doubly shocking that you died so suddenly. Thank you for your large body of work and for mentoring and inspiring new generations of stereographers.

Jack was a true polymath and a personal inspiration to me and others. I will remember his creativity and humor.

A memorial tree was planted in memory of John Muzatko . Plant a Tree

In loving honor of Jack.

A memorial tree was planted in memory of John Muzatko . Plant a Tree

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.