Our oldest parishioner, Stella Skawinski (age 101) passed away July 31st. Please remember her in your prayers as well as her family in this sorrowful time. Eternal rest grant unto her, O LOrd. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
Stella (Mamcarz) Skawinski, 101, of Paterson, died after a long illness on July 31, 2017, at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains. Born February 13, 1916, in Utica, NY, she is predeceased by her parents of Poland, her late husband, Lawrence, of Paterson, and daughter, Dorothy, of Grover Beach, CA.
Stella left Utica with her parents when she was a child to return to Poland, where her family owned a large farm. She escaped the invasion of Poland by the Nazis because in 1935, she returned to the U.S. to visit the country of her birth. What she thought would be a brief stay with her godmother in Paterson became permanent after her parents told her to remain in America because of the turmoil in Europe. She never saw her parents again. She married Lawrence Skawinski, an engine mechanic at Curtiss-Wright, in 1939.
Survivors include her son, Lawrence and his wife Carol of Highland Heights, KY, and granddaughter, Nicole Cobb and her husband Brian of Roswell, NM; sister-in-law, Helen Skawinski; nieces and nephews, Jacek Mamcarz, Stanley Skawinski, Elaine Rotsaert, Cheryl Wechter, Carole Ostrowski and Keith Rotsaert. Stella will also be missed by her extended family in Poland.
A homemaker, Stella was an avid gardener, known for her Victory Garden and beautiful flowers, especially her roses, of which she was most proud. She was a talented cook, praised for her Polish dishes including stuffed cabbage and pierogi. Stella was a superb seamstress who designed and made clothing, knit, crocheted, and did needlework. She loved dancing, especially doing the polka with her husband at various festive occasions. An animal lover, Stella’s beloved cat, Puss, was her companion for several years before passing away from cancer. Stella also enjoyed caring for a friend’s Scottie dogs and relished visits from various friends’ dogs over the years.
Loved and admired by many, Stella was a woman with an indomitable spirit, eternally optimistic, with a great sense of humor and generous nature: she was always helping others without expecting anything in return.
Stella was a member of Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church, Woodland Park, and the Adoration Society.
The family wishes to thank Atlantic Hospice and the staff of Chilton for the care and support they provided Stella and her family.
Donations made to Holy Cross PNCC in Stella’s memory would be greatly appreciated.
