Rozalia Szpak (1926-2016)
Rozalia Szpak, 89, of Manchester, New Hampshire, who was known to many as “Rose”, or "Rosie" and who raised seven loving children, passed away on February 3, 2016 after a short illness.
Rose was born in the village of Ladna outside Tarnow, Poland, the daughter of Josef and Katarzyna Oclon on September 8, 1926. After the end of World War II, having been separated from her family during the war, she found herself in Germany where she met and married her husband, the late Roman Szpak. He was born in Poland also and, when they met, was a member of the international police force that was responsible for the care of European war refugees.
They arrived in this country in June of 1951, with two children born to them in Germany before emigrating. In the United States, they settled here in Manchester and had five more children. The family belonged to St. Hedwig Church and all seven children attended St. Casimir School. Her husband, who became a cabinet-maker and an assistant foreman at Hermsdorf Fixture Mfg. Co., Inc., died in 1983. She missed him greatly all her later years.
Throughout her life, Rose loved to garden; each year, she grew forests of sunflowers, walls of morning glories, an abundance of roses and lilies, and colorful arrays of other bright flowers in the yard of the family home on Pine Street. Holidays at home were filled with the flavors and scents of Polish food specialties that she cooked and baked from scratch using the recipes she brought with her to the United States. Her children and grandchildren have long competed to see who can come closest to matching the flavors she created.
Her children include Theodore Szpak of Lakeville, Mass., Krystyna Wyman of Londonderry, NH, Mark Paul Szpak of Belmont, Mass., Richard Roman Szpak of Marlborough, Mass., Edmund Leo Szpak of Orlando, Florida, Lisa Ann Szpak of Manchester, NH, and Tina Marie Szpak of Manchester, NH. Her grandchildren include Heidi (Wyman) Parilla and Michael Wyman, both of Londonderry, NH, John Roman Szpak of Key Largo, Florida, Mary Caroline Szpak of New York City, New York, and Krysta Tremblay of Manchester, NH. Her great-grandchildren include Heather, Tom and Jacob Parilla, and Luke and Logan Wyman, all of Londonderry, NH.
Calling hours will be held at J. N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home at 110 Bridge Street, Manchester, from 9:00 am to 10:30 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, February 6, 2016. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on the same morning, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Hedwig Church, corner of Beech St. and Orange St., Manchester. Burial will be in St. Hedwig Cemetery, Bedford, following the Mass.
For more information and online guestbook please visit www.bouffordfuneralhome.com.