Joseph Walter Rajewski, Jr., 68, of North Andover passed away at home on March 27 after battling bladder cancer and colon cancer for three years.
Born in Lawrence and a graduate of its public schools, Joe graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in applied mathematics from the University of Lowell. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for six years, five during the Vietnam War.
Like a true renaissance man, Joe held a variety of jobs in his lifetime: homebuilder, general contractor, Volkswagen mechanic, assistant building inspector for the Town of North Andover, and realtor. His boundless talents and energy allowed him to make or fix anything, and he performed Superman feats of kindness for anyone who needed such help. His credo was the Winston Churchill quote: “Sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes you must do what is required.”
He helped put his two children through college at their first-choice schools, but more importantly joined them enthusiastically in all their childhood hobbies: building model rockets and RC cars, painting Breyer horses, sculpting bonsai trees, practicing karate, coaching softball, and restoring a ’66 Mustang among other cars.
Passionate and gruff but gregarious, Joe enjoyed listening to and playing music (guitar and bass); making friends wherever he went and surprising them with coffee or homebrewed-beer deliveries; intensely following the Patriots; fishing for bass and fixing up boats; and playfully teasing his granddaughter, who idolized him. He was a lifelong friend to animals, adopting older shelter pets and feeding the birds and squirrels in his backyard.
What Joe loved most was talking, laughing, dancing, and turning routine errands into happy adventures with his beloved wife of 46 years. The New Harpersfield Soul Band, in which Joe played the bass in the 1970s, accounted for some of his most precious memories because he met his soulmate, Cathy, at a club gig on her 21st birthday.
Joe is survived by his wife, Catherine (Byrne) Rajewski; daughter, Genevieve Rajewski, and her husband, Nathan Johnson; son, Joseph W. Rajewski III, and his wife, Katherine Seto; granddaughter, Catherine Johnson; mother, Helen (Kozdra) Rajewski; sister, Paula Raczkowski, and her husband, Jack; niece, Amy Raczkowski Dean, and nephew, Jay Raczkowski, and their families. He was predeceased by his dear father, Joseph W. Rajewski.
Friends and family can pay their respects at the John Breen Memorial Funeral Home Inc. 122 Amesbury St. Lawrence, MA on Thursday, March 31, 2016 from 4 to 8 pm and are invited to celebrate his life at a memorial service there the following day Friday, April 1, 2016 at 11 am. A burial at the Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Joe’s name to the MSPCA to support the Methuen/Nevins Farm adoption center, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA, 01841. For more information or to send an online condolence please visit our website at: www.breenfuneralhome.com.