Donald Emil Kanabay Fr. Valerian Kanabaj

Kanabay, Donald Emil ?Fr. Valerian Kanabaj,? 70, of St. Petersburg, died Sunday Jan. 19, 2003 at St. Anthony?s Hospital. He came here in 1970 from his native Chicago, IL. He served in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division during the Korean War. After attending Stenotype Institute of Chicago, he founded, with his wife, Kanabay and Kanabay Court Reporters, and in 1967 won the Illinois speed championship. After publishing two books he moved his family to Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1967, where he worked with the U.S. Consulate and ran a USO for the Sixth Fleet in a flamenco nightclub. In 1970, in Washington, D.C. he reported top secret Capitol Hill hearings. In 1970 Governor Claude Kirk appointed him an Official Court Reporter for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Florida, and in 1971 Governor Reubin Askew approved his appointment. Also known as Father Valerian Kanabaj, he was an Orthodox Catholic priest and a St. Petersburg Police Department Chaplain. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Helen; and four daughters: Sandra Kanabay Ambush; Theresa Simpson; Donna Kanabay Harvey; and Catherine Naghitorabi, all of St. Petersburg; and five grandchildren. Services will be held at St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church, 3600 76th St. N., St. Petersburg, with the viewing at 7:30PM on Friday. The Liturgy and Eulogy will be held on Saturday at 9:30AM with a viewing to follow. Interment will follow at Sunnyside Cemetery. Those who wish may make contributions in his name to the Pinellas County Law Enforcement Charities, 14450-46th St. N., Suite 115, Clearwater, FL 33762, 727532-1722. Anderson-McQueen Funeral Homes & Cremation Tribute Center-Ninth Street Chapel.