Obituary of Damian Warzecha Sr.

Damian Warzecha Sr. , passed away on August 15th. He was 89 years old. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, August 21st at 10 am at St. Aloysius Church, Caldwell, NJ. Friends and relatives may visit with his family on Thursday, August 20th from 6-8 pm at the Norman Dean Home For Services, 16 Righter Ave, Denville. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations to the good work of the PAN Foundation, an organization that “offers help and hope to people with chronic or life-threatening illnesses for whom cost limits access to critical medical treatments.” Damian was born in Radlin, Poland in 1925. After Poland was invaded during WW II, a young Damian made his way to England. He joined the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade and was honorably discharged as a L/CPL. In December 1945, Damian received “The War Medal.” In addition, he served in the Polish Resettlement Group in England until 1949. After his military service years, Damian continued to live and work in England. It was during this time that he met and married his first wife, Hildegarde. In 1950, they immigrated to the United States and created a new life in in the West Essex area. It is here that they went on to have a family of three children: Gitta, Karin, and Don. Damian proudly became a U.S. citizen in August 1957. He was employed by the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove for 40 years and retired in 1992. In 1975, Hildegarde passed away. Eleven years later, Damian married his current wife, Lucja. After retirement, Damian and Luca enjoyed many happy years in the company of their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren whom they lovingly referred to as “Papa.” Damian and Luca were always on the move, constantly traveling back and forth between Poland and the United States visiting extended family. They returned from their most recent trip just one week ago. Damian was an avid sports fan of the NY Giants, the NY Rangers and especially, his beloved Yankees. He was a walking encyclopedia of his favorite teams and could talk strategy with the best of them! Damian leaves only happy memories for his wife Lucja of 29 years; children Gitta Acton (Scott), Karin Warzecha (Phil Lattari) and Don Warzecha (Lisa Marzano); grandchildren Michael Acton, Deanna Coughlin (Devon), Julia Carey, and Bryan Warzecha; and great grandchildren, Brady and Abby Coughlin.