Obituary of Cecylia Kolakowska

Cecylia Kolakowska, 94, of Southbury, Connecticut, passed away on Thursday, November 8th, 2018 in her home surrounded by her family and nurses. Cecylia was born on September 17th, 1924 in Gosciejewo, Poland, as the oldest daughter of ten children to parents Zofia and Marian Wisniewski. When only 15, World War II broke out in Poland, and she endured many hardships. Her home was bombed and the family lost everything, but all ten children and parents survived. She was later captured by the Nazis and brought to a labor camp, where she was brave enough to escape. After the war, she was determined to go to school and eventually became a school teacher. When working in the town of Nasielsk, she met her future husband, Tadeusz Kolakowski, an organist in the town's Catholic Church. They were married in Warsaw in 1951. She had a passion for teaching, and was loved and remembered by many students for her ability to treat each student with love, patience, kindness, and understanding of their individual needs. Those qualities made her an incredible mother and grandmother. Cecylia came to the U.S. in 1987 to help her daughter with a newborn baby. Eventually she ended up making Connecticut her permanent home, next to her daughters and grandsons. She had many talents, including gardening, drawing, knitting, and writing. She hand wrote many lengthy memoirs recounting her rich life experiences that her family will treasure. One of her gifts that was greatly appreciated by most was her fabulous cooking and baking. Above all, she was always dedicated to selflessly loving her family, passing on her values of closeness, love, and service to others.

Cecylia leaves behind her son Wojciech Kolakowski and his wife Barbara of Poland; son Jacek Kolakowski and wife Ula of Poland; twin daughters Eva Trefz and her husband Christian of Westport, and Margaret Bartlomowicz of Southbury; sisters Maria Jaroszewska, Danuta Kochanska, Telesfora Nitkowska, and Jadwiga Chrzanowska, and brother Kazimierz Wisniewski, all of Poland; grandchildren Filip Kolakowski and his wife Marzena, Karolina Kolakowska, Michal Kolakowski, Winston Janusz and his wife Jessica, and Michal Bartlomowicz; great-grandchildren Atena, Andrea, Jonah, and Connor; and many cousins, relatives, and friends. She is predeceased by her parents Zofia and Marian, her husband Tadeusz, brothers Tadeusz and Ryszard, sisters Barbara and Teresa, and son-in-law Michal Bartlomowicz.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 11 AM directly in St. Theresa Church, 5301 Main Street, Trumbull. Interment will follow in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport. Friends may greet the family on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 from 4-7 PM in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull.