SALEM – Arthur S. Irzyk, 87, of Lynn, formerly of Salem, died Friday, September 24, 2010 at the Kaplan Family Hospice in Danvers. He was born October 4, 1922, in Salem, MA to Polish immigrant parents. In his bilingual home, the children’s proficiency in English and Math was expected. At St. John the Baptist Grammar School, Arthur graduated with honors and played all sports. At Salem Classical and High School (1936 – 1940), he was a member of the student government, the class speaker, and three-year Honor Society member. He demonstrated his athletic talents as a three-year varsity regular second baseman. During his senior season, in 1940, Salem was the Essex County League Champion. Arthur also excelled as the All-Star second baseman for Marblehead, in the North Shore Park League during the summer of ’42.
After leaving the University of Massachusetts, in 1943, for military service, he completed Officer Training at Fort Benning, GA, and was then shipped overseas to join George Patton’s 4th Armored Division. He took part in breaking the siege at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. Irzyk’s armored cavalry platoon was the point element of forward units fighting through Belgium and Luxembourg in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance missions. Because of his efforts, he was recommended for the Silver Star and promotion to Captain, prior to being critically wounded while securing the town of Frauliebenscheinn, Germany.
In 1945, while hospitalized at Cushing Hospital in Framingham, MA, a selection process was undertaken to identify a patient with extraordinary will to overcome obstacles, combined with an unshakeable belief in the logical, positive conclusion to events. Mr. Irzyk was thus selected to undergo this previously untried procedure as an alternative to leg amputation. In a tribute to medical skill and individual will, Mr. Irzyk was walking in one year.
By 1947, Mr. Irzyk completed his studies at the University of Massachusetts, appearing in Who’s Who in American Schools and Universities. This same year, he married Jean Mullen of Lynn, his wife of 60 years, and later had two children. During this time, he earned a Master’s Degree from Boston University’s School of Business.
Biography aside, this was a humble, soft spoken man who believed in total self improvement as it relates to the common good. Arthur continuously educated himself and sought relationships with those who had knowledge and expertise in matters beyond his experience.
As a contributor, some of the many causes he supported were: St. Labre Indian Schools in Montana for 50+ years, Southwest Indian Schools, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, Hospice of the North Shore, and the Humane Society. He once financed the purchase of a home for a neighbor who had lost her home.
Mr. Arthur S. Irzyk was an officer and a gentleman, taking the weight, the worry, and the responsibility for those who depended upon him, whether it was family, friends, or others. He treated all with courtesy and respect, and was an attentive listener with a self-deprecating sense of humor and irony.
Because Arthur was proud of where he came from, his days ended with a sense of satisfaction when his youngest grandson (also an athlete) graduated from Salem High School.
The man variously known as Arthur, Art, Dad, Granddad, Uncle, Bigart, and PopPop made those around him feel good and has, in his passing, left a perpetual void in those who knew him, but we are so much the wiser and stronger for having done so.
For line condolences, visit www.SalemFuneral.com.