To live stream Funeral Mass:
Gerald Mecyslaus Chudy age 86 of Depew, NY passed away March 25th at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton.
As Jerry’s daughter, I saw that my dad was a hard worker who never could sit still and always needed to do things himself. He was my role model who always taught to me to do things right, not to let others get you down, figure out how to solve problems, to fix things to the point that they are better than before they were broken, and to trust but verify. His achievements included being a competitive ping pong player, tennis player, and roller skater with his lifetime partner and wife Joanne. He spent 38 years as a Buffalo firefighter and 20 years in the 107th Attack Wing Air National Guard. After retiring, always needing to keep busy, he spent 10 years working for the public school system as a bus driver and aid for physically and mentally challenged children.
My dad was constantly working hard and was incredibly competitive in nature. He was as much a competitor in life as he was against his own body. In his later years he fought through macular degeneration causing severe vision impairment, hearing loss, a triple bypass in 2005, a stage 4 papillary renal cell carcinoma diagnosis in 2007, a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2008, a follicular lymphoma diagnosis in 2009, undergoing multiple different chemotherapies, surviving his first heart attack with a stent placement in 2012, having multiple turps through the years, continued aortic stenosis, and a pacemaker placement in 2013.
Hearing him say throughout the years that he needed a body transplant, he still pushed through and won! I don't know anyone with active cancers that survived as long as he did. Fourteen years from the first diagnosis! He fought until his very last breath at 12:37am on Thursday March 25th. I love you, Dad, and even though this is so hard, it was your time. God gave me the strength to be able to say it’s ok to go.
I hope that all those cancers and the bugs of that nasty powerful infection that toxified your stomach and lungs are now suffering hard as your soul rises to be with God free from all these toxins and you’re now looking down at us as you gain your wings to fly high and be with your ultimate savior JC our Lord in Heaven. I love you Dad.
Words from his son-in-law.
Jerry came from a time of tradition and old-fashioned values. Our encounters were nothing of the sort. Jerry raised a devout Catholic family of 100% Polish descent in a predominantly Polish community in Buffalo, NY. Myself, a Jewish boy from Boston with incomplete genealogy knowledge, courted his daughter on an online dating website, and our first date was Tania taking a 2 week vacation to Grenada where I was attending veterinary school, which Tania needed a map to even figure out where she was buying a plane ticket to.
Six months later I proposed to Tania. Two days before my proposal, trying to honor old-fashioned traditions, I made a phone call to Jerry from the airport about 30 minutes before my flight boarded going home from school to ask his permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Long story short the conversation could have gone better. However, with persistence, I eventually earned his approval and he graciously gave Tania away to me at our wedding.
As our family grew with children, so did Jerry’s love and appreciation for our family. He always made a point to compliment me on how great our family was, how good of a father I was, and how beautiful, smart and talented our four children were. The both of us went from having serious disagreements in the beginning to having sincere respect and admiration for one another in the end. I was privileged to have him as a father-in-law, and as ‘grandpa’ to my children. We all wished that he could have stayed with us longer to watch our kids grow up. Now we know he’ll be watching in Heaven and will forever remain in our hearts.
Gerald is survived by his wife Joanne Chudy of NY., his daughter Tania Baker & her husband Barry of Stoughton. His siblings of Matthew Chudy, Ronnie Chudy , Charlene Chudy Mitchell, and Sharon Citmielnicki all of NY. He was predeceased by his brother Daniel Chudy. He was also survived by his grandchildren ; Taylor, Alexis, Cameron and Jayme Baker. Visiting hours in the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home 455 Washington St. Canton on Monday April 5th from 3-7pm. Relatives & friends are respectfully invited to attend a Funeral Mass Tuesday morning at 10:00 at St. Theresa-Avila Church, West Roxbury. Interment Private.