Stanislaw “Staszek” Skrzyniarz passed away comfortably with family by his side on December 17, 2023. Throughout his 98 years, he enjoyed a life full of rich experiences with his loving family. The son of Tomasz and Maria Skrzyniarz, and youngest brother of John, Frank, and Joseph, Staszek was born on February 16, 1925, in the southern Poland town of Nowa Wies. His early life was impacted by the invasion and occupation of foreign militaries; however, he refused to acquiesce to the challenges of his circumstances, and continually fought to preserve his autonomy and his family’s wellbeing. His intrepid spirit and aptitude for problem solving were clear from as early as his teenage years, when he was taken from his home to work in a Nazi labor camp near his home. Studying the patterns of the daily routines, he identified the camp’s security vulnerabilities, and escaped back to his home, hiding with neighbors until search parties surrendered their efforts to find him.
After WWII, Staszek made the most of the extended, albeit limited freedoms under Soviet occupation. He became a celebrated member of the Polish Cavalry, exhibiting great skill on horseback, an unsurprising result for those that are aware of his acute connection to nature. He had a great fondness for animals and an uncanny ability to seemingly communicate with them. One glance at a photograph of him sitting upright on horseback would reveal a fit, handsome, confident man. Therefore, it is no surprise that he soon won the affections of his beloved wife and best friend, Apolonia. While he was a kind, charming man who loved to sing to his future wife during their courtship and throughout their years of marriage, she was also undoubtedly swayed by his fantastic head of hair. A defining characteristic of Staszek’s good looks, his rich, full coif required regular haircuts up until the day of his passing.
Together, Staszek and Apolonia started a family in Nowa Wies, near Krakow, Poland. On their farm, they took great care to tend to their livestock and harvest while simultaneously raising their three boys and one daughter. With the difficulties of life under foreign occupation, Staszek reached out to his older brother, John, who was living in the United States and generously assisted to bring Staszek’s entire family to settle in the Boston area. With great bravery to leave behind their home for the challenges of a new place where they didn’t speak the language, Staszek and Apolonia brought the family to the United States in 1970, with the hope of providing their children a more peaceful upbringing, full of opportunity they never experienced.
With this second act, Staszek worked very hard to provide for his family in their new home. Not only did he provide opportunities and get to see his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren live in greater comfort than he experienced, but he also found pleasure in different activities and passions. With a background growing up on a farm, he took especially great pride and joy in activities involving the preparation of delicious meals to share with family. He was an avid fisherman, taking the time to catch and clean big, beautiful fish while on family vacation. He built a smoker to make the world’s greatest homemade kielbasa, planted and tended to his backyard garden for fresh, delicious vegetables, and he even made his own wine. While there were easier ways and shortcuts available, he believed making the effort to do something with care and skill is the best, most rewarding route. A true renaissance man, he also loved to stimulate his mind with jigsaw puzzles and books. While he was unable to access consistent education during his youth, he was eager to challenge himself and never stop learning.
Despite the challenges of an upbringing during a perilous period in his country’s history, Staszek was never bitter or regretful, but he maintained a positive attitude which he carried throughout life. He loved to laugh and joke, often whispering a witty quip that one would be rewarded to hear if you leaned in close. He was a man of great faith, character, and integrity, and while there were many times in his life when he could have sat back and taken the easier route of accepting the status quo, he believed that the world belongs to the brave. As beloved Tata and Dziadzia, he lived a life to inspire his family to follow that example.
Stanislaw was pre-deceased by his wife of 67 years, Apolonia, and his eldest son John. He is survived by his children, George Skrzyniarz and his wife Donna of Calabash, NC, Eugene Skayne and his wife Gisela of Boxboro, MA, and Elizabeth Skrzyniarz of Franklin, MA, his daughter-in-law Krystyna Skrinyaz of Pembroke, MA, in addition to his nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours on Thursday, December 21 from 4 – 7 PM at the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin, 131 Main Street, Franklin MA (ginleyfuneralhomes.com). A Catholic funeral mass will be held on Friday, December 22 at 11AM at Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, 655 Dorchester Avenue, Boston, MA. He will be laid to rest next to his beloved Apolonia at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, MA.
As we pay our respects, we hope everyone remembers Stanislaw saying goodbye as he would after a visit from his family, where he is standing on the porch, waving goodbye with a beaming smile on his face, thankful to have spent time with us all.