Grace Glowacki

Grace M. Glowacki, age 89, of Wayne and formerly of Wallington, passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.

Grace was born and raised in Warsaw Poland. Because of the German occupation of her homeland during World War II, she witnessed more hardship than any person should ever have to. In fact at one point during the war, her whole family was loaded onto a train for transport to the concentration camps. Fortunately, Grace’s father was a well-known rally race car driver who, when recognized by one of the German soldiers on the train, that soldier secretly allowed him and his entire family, including Grace to escape. They took refuge in a barn surviving on a diet consisting of only potatoes, and they remained there in hiding until Poland was liberated.

As a young woman, after the war, while employed by the Polish Consulate, Grace was given an opportunity to immigrate to the United States. She came to the U.S. and started as a nanny. She also received a wonderful opportunity to attend Columbia University in New York City to learn English. Meanwhile she met Aloysius Glowacki through a friend and they married in 1960. After marriage, Grace and her husband moved to Wallington and started their family. Grace poured most of her loving time and energy into raising her three children, George, Theresa and Vivian. Eventually she returned to the workplace, first as a secretary at the YWCA in Passaic, then in sales and promotions with Wise Potato Chips while concurrently selling Mary Kay Beauty Products. Then, in 1984, Grace started a much loved career as a Language Specialist translating Polish to English for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. While most of her work was based in New York City, her job with the FBI took her all over the U.S.A. and abroad. She was very secretive about her work and when asked where she was going, she would never tell. Consequently, her grandchildren Jacob and Jeremy would often good-naturedly referred to Grace as their “secret agent grandmother.”  Grace’s career with the FBI spanned 27 years when she retired in 2011 at the age of 80!

Grace was a high-energy person with a real zest for life. She loved the New York City hustle and even talked about moving from her home in Wallington to go live there, even in her late seventies. She was a true believer in the benefits of exercise and was a regular at the gym in Chelsea Piers both before and after work. She loved taking spa vacations to the Caribbean and, when her children were younger, she’d often take them down the Jersey Shore in Long Branch.

Grace’s taste in music was eclectic, enjoying the swooning sounds of Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli but also the reggae sounds of Bob Marley. She loved to cook and she drew inspiration from watching famous chef Emeril Lagasse, even going to his show one time to see him live in person. As much as she loved being in the kitchen, she would often rave about her son-in-law Paul’s grilled salmon, describing it as something “to die for.” When Grace just wanted to get some fresh air, you could often find her working in the yard at her house in Wallington, tending to her fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers, especially her magnificent sunflowers.

Grace was always so very proud of her two grandsons, Jacob and Jeremy and they loved the fact that their dear “GG” enjoyed attending all of their school musicals, concerts, and scouting events.

Grace had a true love for life. She always did her best to make things work living for the day, making few plans but always having high hopes. An eternal optimist, she would always say with a big smile on her face, “I believe in miracles!”  

Grace was the loving mother of the late George Glowaski (1990), Theresa Glowacki of Edgewater, FL, and Vivian and husband Paul Suszczynski of Wayne; cherished grandmother of Jacob and Jeremy Suszczynski; and dear sister of the late Bohdan Mazurek (2014).

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Grace’s name are asked to consider Saint Joseph’s School for the Blind, 761 Summit Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07307, or to donate online, click here.