Obituaries

George MuzykMontgomery College Student

George Alexander Joseph Muzyk, 64, a former West Point cadet and merchant marine who helped his father at Threshold Services, a Silver Spring facility for those with mental illnesses or substance-abuse disorders, died Oct. 30 of cardiac arrest at his apartment in Germantown.

Mr. Muzyk was born in White Plains, N.Y., and grew up in various places around the globe as part of a military family. He studied at Bunson Gymnasium in Heidelberg, Germany, for two years in the late 1950s and kept a diary in German of his activities. He also kept a detailed account of his two-month bicycle trip through Northern Europe.

He graduated in 1961 from St. Johns College High School, where his father was the commandant of cadets, and attended the U.S. Military Academy Prep School at Fort Belvoir before being accepted to the U.S. Military Academy. He stayed for 2 1/2 years at West Point -- where, a sister recalled, he ranked at the top of his class -- and then transferred to Georgetown University. He traveled widely as a merchant seaman.

Mr. Muzyk received a diagnosis of schizophrenia in his early 20s. Afterward, he spent many years taking classes at Montgomery College. He earned an associate of arts degree in 2006 and was inducted into Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.

"His earnest desire to help the mentally and emotionally challenged was evident in his letters and conversations," said a sister, Carol Kaylor. "He imitated his father in this effort."

The elder Muzyk was one of the founders of Threshold Services, which provides treatment, rehabilitation and housing for people with mental illnesses or substance-abuse disorders. For many years, Mr. Muzyk spent much of his time at Threshold Services, where he was something of a right-hand man for his father. Mr. Muzyk's father, retired Army Col. Alexander Frank Muzyk, died in 1989.

In addition to his sister, of Eau Claire, Wis., survivors include a brother, Kenny Muzyk of Bethesda, and another sister, Chrissy Disher of Santa Margarita, Calif.

-- Joe Holley

Herbert E. WeinerLabor Attache

Herbert E. Weiner, 86, a Foreign Service officer who was one of the early labor attaches in the State Department, died Nov. 26 at his home in Washington. He had Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Weiner, who was well known in U.S. and British labor circles, served in numerous posts abroad and in Washington. He was first posted as a labor attache in London in 1947.