Zygmund “Zyg” Sliva was born July 18, 1928, to John and Lottie (Czerwinski) Sliva. He and his family were members of Pe Ell’s vibrant Polish-American community.
Zyg enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps immediately upon his graduation from Pe Ell High School in 1946. He was based at Shaw Field, South Carolina, where he was a crash rescue fireman. After completing his service in 1949, he returned to the Pacific Northwest, where he raised a family and lived a quiet life as a log truck driver for Weyerhaeuser.
Over the course of his career, he drove more than 2 million miles in a series of Kenworth log trucks, hiked hundreds of miles through the forests of Lewis County, and walked dozens of miles on picket lines during strikes. At the time of his passing, he was one of the oldest living retirees from the Pe Ell operations section of Weyerhaeuser in Lewis County.
In between shifts and in his retirement, Zyg spent his time woodworking, fishing and gardening at his Doty home.
He was predeceased by the two loves of his life, his first wife, Veneta, and his second wife, Gladys. He is survived by his children, Cheryl (Cork) Barada of Doty, Washington, and Timothy (Anna) Sliva of Kailua, Hawaii; and his stepchildren, Bambi (Doug) Donahue and Tammy (Dennis) Calkins, both of Centralia, Washington. He also had numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he adored.
Zyg spent his life and retirement surrounded by those he loved. He passed away March 10, 2026.
A private family gathering will be held. You can visit him and the rest of his family at Claquato Cemetery; he’ll be happy to see you.
Rest in peace, Dad, until we meet to part no more.
