\t\t\tDr. Allen John Duricko \t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tOBITUARY\t\t<\/p>\n
Dr. Allen John Duricko, 80, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of January 31, 2026, with the love of his life at his side holding his hand. A man of deep warmth, intellectual curiosity, and professional dedication, Allen lived a life he often described as blessed, defined by his commitment to his family, his patients, and the countless lives he touched through his work in psychology.<\/p>\n
\nBorn on March 20, 1945, in Orange, New Jersey, Allen relocated to West Scranton with his family in the 1950s. He was the son of the late Alexander and Dorothy (Thomson) Duricko and the grandson of Russo-Austrian immigrants whose stories of hard work and resilience in the local mines and machine shops helped shape his dedication to building resilience in others.<\/p>\n
\nA 1963 graduate of West Scranton High School, Allen excelled both academically and athletically. He attended the University of Scranton on full scholarship funded by the local UNICO chapter, maintaining the high standards that would define his professional life. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University in 1973, a rigorous and informative time of his life, where he began his long career of service.<\/p>\n
\nAllen\u2019s greatest joy was his 56-year marriage to Erma Fricchione. Their story began at the West Scranton swimming pool and was rekindled years later during a local Centennial parade; a partnership that led to their marriage at Saint Lucy\u2019s Church on June 28, 1969. Their lives together were a shared journey that took them from the familiar streets of Scranton to their spiritual home in Arizona, the vibrant arts scene of New York City, and eventually to their home in Gouldsboro, with many other meaningful destinations across the globe along the way.<\/p>\n
\nAllen dedicated over five decades to the field of psychology. Upon returning to Pennsylvania, he served as the Chief Psychologist for the Community Mental Health (CMH) Center in Scranton. Following his tenure there, he transitioned into a robust private practice, helping countless members of the community navigate life\u2019s challenges. In 1993, he founded the Psych Center of Northeast PA, where he took great joy in his clinical work and mentorship until his retirement in 2022.<\/p>\n
\nAllen was recruited into the Army Reserve in Arizona, stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrisson. He served as a proud member of the Military Police and Postal Service units.<\/p>\n
\nBeyond his professional life, Allen was a man of many talents. He was a gifted accordion player, leading his band, The Moonlighters, through local performances. His encyclopedic knowledge of 40s and 50s music was unrivaled and he was an enthusiastic DJ of many sock hops and reunions under the moniker The Fabulous One of WEST. He was an avid outdoorsman in his youth, known for fossil hunting in West Scranton and his remarkable baseball skills, once boasting a season batting average over .600.<\/p>\n
\nHe was a man who believed in the essence of things, known for his warmth and his ability to find common ground with anyone he met. Whether playing hymns on his accordion for nursing home residents, sharing stories around the dinner table, or holding his daughter\u2019s head on his chest as she cried her face off, his presence was a source of comfort and light. He held genuine curiosity for people and their lives, constantly engaging in conversation wherever he went, a testament to his love for others.<\/p>\n
\nAs a devoted family man, Allen was an inspiration and a constant source of strength and compassion for his wife and children. He traveled the country to attend every play his wife directed. He was deeply involved in his children\u2019s lives, serving as PTA president at North Pocono, shuttling the kids to school and lessons, and proudly joining the \u201cdad-in-the-back-with-camcorder\u201d throng at countless school events. Not a day went by in his marriage that he wasn\u2019t grateful for the life he and his wife built together, and he made sure to tell her so.<\/p>\n
\nHe is survived by his beloved wife, Erma; his son, Jeffrey (and Choo Tong Neo); his daughter, Marissa; and his two cherished grandchildren, Onofrio and Davin; along with nephews, nieces, cousins, and beloved pets. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, William Duricko.<\/p>\n
\nThe family would like to thank the full team of Davita Dialysis Dunmore, and Drs. Hazzouri and Manahan for their incredible support.<\/p>\n
\nA celebration of Allen\u2019s life will be held in Arizona in March, and in Scranton, PA in April. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in his honor to Eastern PA Trans Equity Project or One Life to Live Pet Rescue in Scranton. Arrangements are entrusted to Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, LLC in Spring Brook Twp. To share your fondest memories of Allen, please visit the funeral home\u2019s website or Facebook page.<\/p>\n
\nDr. Allen John Duricko<\/p>\n
\nJanuary 31, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Allen John Duricko OBITUARY Dr. Allen John Duricko, 80, passed away peacefully at home on the morning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-104738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-scranton","9":"tag-scranton-headlines","10":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}