Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Monday, November 21, 2016 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, PA.
Stanislaw “Stash” Rodzen, age 70, of Lincoln Park, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 18, 2016.
Born in Kamien, Poland, Stash’s parents moved north to Grudziadz, Poland when he was just a year old. There, he spent the formative years of his life. After receiving his formal education, Stash proudly served in the Polish Army from 1966 to 1968. It was there that he learned the trade of mechanic – a trade that he would go on to master and which would help him provide for his family in the ensuing years.
Stanislaw met the girl of his dreams – Barbara Wojcik, through his cousin Teresa who worked with Barbara. Their first date was out to a local coffee shop in Poland and, it was over that cup of coffee that a loving relationship was born which led to marriage on April 27, 1974 in St. Andrews Church in Grudziadz, Poland. Stanislaw and Barbara enjoyed a loving marriage of 42 years. While still living in Poland, they welcomed the blessings of two daughters – Joanna in 1975 and Izabela in 1980.
While in Poland, Stash was an executive with a prominent heating company but, wanting a better life than communist Poland could offer, he escaped alone to the United States in 1984. For the next 13 years, separated from the ones he loved, Stanislaw worked hard in the U.S. to get established so Barbara and his daughters could join him. During those 13 years, it wasn’t until 1993 – nine years after escaping that he received his papers which allowed him to go back to Poland and visit them for the first time. In 1996, Stash became a proud U.S. citizen and a year later his daughter Izabela joined him in the U.S. follow a year later by his wife Barbara and daughter Joanna. The family lived in Wallington until moving to Lincoln Park in 2001 where Stash had remained ever since.
In the U.S. Stash drew upon the mechanic experience gained in the Polish Army, becoming a car, truck and machinery mechanic with various companies, most recently maintaining the trucks and other equipment for the Wilbert Burial Vault Company in Wayne. He worked there for 12 years until retirement in 2013. Throughout his career, Stash always worked extremely hard, often holding two jobs at a time to help his family have a better life.
When his time freed up a bit more, Stash took to traveling. Barbara and he enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Canada and, when she didn’t want to travel, Stash joined a Polish touring group and took trips with them to China, Japan, Peru, Ecuador, and throughout the U.S. including Alaska. Stash had a unique and adventurous palate, once even eating spiders he purchased in Ecuador. When it came liquid refreshment, he always felt that quality was much more important than quantity. Thus, he typically purchased high quality, limited edition vodka, whisky and other liquors. It would be nothing unusual to see Stash spending time relaxing by savoring a fine glass of spirits while dreaming of and contemplating new inventions in his very active mind.
Being with his family was one of Stash’s greatest delights, especially after being separated from them for thirteen long years while paving the way for them to join him in the U.S. The family enjoyed the simple day-to-day activities like attending mass together at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Wallington followed by the tradition of gathering at home for a meal together and enjoying each other’s company. Before the affliction of Alzheimer’s, Stash took great delight in his granddaughters. His face would beam as he held little baby Julia and he loved taking her and Chloe for walks. He was extremely generous to them too, regularly spoiling them with gifts from Grandpa.
Stash’s family and friends will miss this man who they lovingly and affectionately described as somewhat stubborn but generous and very good-hearted. He loved helping others – no strings attached, especially fellow Polish immigrants who, like himself, needed help getting settled, finding jobs, and finding their way in this new land of freedom that he was so grateful for.
Surviving are Stanislaw’s beloved wife of 42 years, Barbara (nee Wojcik): two daughters: Joanna Rodzen-Hickey and husband Frederick of Green Township, and Izabela Rodzen-Olesinski and husband Przemek of Fort Lee; and three adored granddaughters: Julia, Chloe, and Charlotte.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family on Monday, November 21, 2016 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, PA.
Services
Friends may visit with the family on Monday, November 21, 2016 from 4-8 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, PA.
Stanislaw “Stash” Rodzen, age 70, of Lincoln Park, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 18, 2016.
Born in Kamien, Poland, Stash’s parents moved north to Grudziadz, Poland when he was just a year old. There, he spent the formative years of his life. After receiving his formal education, Stash proudly served in the Polish Army from 1966 to 1968. It was there that he learned the trade of mechanic – a trade that he would go on to master and which would help him provide for his family in the ensuing years.
Stanislaw met the girl of his dreams – Barbara Wojcik, through his cousin Teresa who worked with Barbara. Their first date was out to a local coffee shop in Poland and, it was over that cup of coffee that a loving relationship was born which led to marriage on April 27, 1974 in St. Andrews Church in Grudziadz, Poland. Stanislaw and Barbara enjoyed a loving marriage of 42 years. While still living in Poland, they welcomed the blessings of two daughters – Joanna in 1975 and Izabela in 1980.
While in Poland, Stash was an executive with a prominent heating company but, wanting a better life than communist Poland could offer, he escaped alone to the United States in 1984. For the next 13 years, separated from the ones he loved, Stanislaw worked hard in the U.S. to get established so Barbara and his daughters could join him. During those 13 years, it wasn’t until 1993 – nine years after escaping that he received his papers which allowed him to go back to Poland and visit them for the first time. In 1996, Stash became a proud U.S. citizen and a year later his daughter Izabela joined him in the U.S. follow a year later by his wife Barbara and daughter Joanna. The family lived in Wallington until moving to Lincoln Park in 2001 where Stash had remained ever since.
In the U.S. Stash drew upon the mechanic experience gained in the Polish Army, becoming a car, truck and machinery mechanic with various companies, most recently maintaining the trucks and other equipment for the Wilbert Burial Vault Company in Wayne. He worked there for 12 years until retirement in 2013. Throughout his career, Stash always worked extremely hard, often holding two jobs at a time to help his family have a better life.
When his time freed up a bit more, Stash took to traveling. Barbara and he enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Canada and, when she didn’t want to travel, Stash joined a Polish touring group and took trips with them to China, Japan, Peru, Ecuador, and throughout the U.S. including Alaska. Stash had a unique and adventurous palate, once even eating spiders he purchased in Ecuador. When it came liquid refreshment, he always felt that quality was much more important than quantity. Thus, he typically purchased high quality, limited edition vodka, whisky and other liquors. It would be nothing unusual to see Stash spending time relaxing by savoring a fine glass of spirits while dreaming of and contemplating new inventions in his very active mind.
Being with his family was one of Stash’s greatest delights, especially after being separated from them for thirteen long years while paving the way for them to join him in the U.S. The family enjoyed the simple day-to-day activities like attending mass together at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Wallington followed by the tradition of gathering at home for a meal together and enjoying each other’s company. Before the affliction of Alzheimer’s, Stash took great delight in his granddaughters. His face would beam as he held little baby Julia and he loved taking her and Chloe for walks. He was extremely generous to them too, regularly spoiling them with gifts from Grandpa.
Stash’s family and friends will miss this man who they lovingly and affectionately described as somewhat stubborn but generous and very good-hearted. He loved helping others – no strings attached, especially fellow Polish immigrants who, like himself, needed help getting settled, finding jobs, and finding their way in this new land of freedom that he was so grateful for.
Surviving are Stanislaw’s beloved wife of 42 years, Barbara (nee Wojcik): two daughters: Joanna Rodzen-Hickey and husband Frederick of Green Township, and Izabela Rodzen-Olesinski and husband Przemek of Fort Lee; and three adored granddaughters: Julia, Chloe, and Charlotte.
Guestbook