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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 18, 2016 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. A funeral service will be held at 7 PM, during the evening visiting hours on Sunday. There will be a private burial at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ.
Theodore Romanowski, age 96 of Fairfield and formerly of Whiting, died peacefully on Wednesday, December 14, 2016. He was raised in Garfield and had lived in Paterson until 1982.
Ted had lived in Paterson and worked at Athenia Steel. He was ambitious and never missed an opportunity to earn overtime pay. He enjoyed a career spanning thirty three years there before retiring in 1982.
Ted’s formative years were largely shaped by the events of the Great Depression. To earn pennies, you used to walk to Passaic on Friday evenings, with his baby brother in tow, and go door-to-door in the Jewish neighborhoods turning on appliances and stoves for the Orthodox Jews who were not allowed to touch these devices after sunset on the Sabbath. He also worked briefly at the local bakery where he learned to put stuffing in donuts, and at the area dairy where he churned buttermilk and was trained as a ‘pasteurizer.’ He was able to see much of the U.S. while in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
When World War II began, Ted enlisted in the Army. Before long, he was joining the fight as a gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator with “Ken’s Men” based in Australia. Ted served for more than three years, with much of that time spent throughout the islands of the South Pacific Theatre. He spoke often of his time in the Army Air Corps and was proud of his service. During his retirement years, Ted was interviewed by a local TV station and he gave tours of bombers at airshows. On one particular occasion, Ted was concluding a tour with some elementary students when one of them approached him and asked for his autograph! He was overwhelmed with emotion and gladly accommodated. He was a member of the VFW in Whiting.
Ted met his wife Lorenza during the late 1940’s. Lorenza had actually been dating Ted’s foster brother Hank for some time before they realized their mutual affection during a Christmas party. They were soon married on June 24, 1951 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Paterson followed by a bus ride to Cape May for their honeymoon. They settled in Paterson where they raised their daughter and lived until Ted’s retirement. In 1982, they moved to Crestwood Village #7 in Whiting, NJ where Ted began to enjoy a very busy retirement. He and Lorenza were active at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Manchester, with the local Polish Club, the Hungarian Club, and various other charities. He was particularly passionate about delivering food to the Mt. Carmel Guild in Trenton, helping to feed those less privileged. He also worked part time at the Carmona-Bolen Funeral Home in Whiting where he made some great friends and enjoyed helping in any way he could. Even after Lorenza passed away in 1998, he didn’t slow down at all. At age 93, he moved to Sunrise Assisted Living in Fairfield. It’s no surprise that he remained active while living there, and he was among the most beloved residents.
Ted is survived by his loving daughter; Maryann Re and her husband Tom of Wayne, two nephews; Paul Nardone and his wife Darlene of Mcafee, NJ, Ray Romanowski and his wife Linda of Cornwall, NY, a niece; Judy Romanowski of New York, his beloved Brittany Lester and Chelsea Lester, and his step-grandchildren; Matthew, Rachel and Lauren. He was predeceased by his wife Lorenza in 1998, and by all three of his siblings; Eddy, Paula, and Hank.
Memorial donations in Ted’s honor would be appreciated to the Mt. Carmel Guild, 73 N. Clinton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08609, or visit mtcarmelguild.org.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 18, 2016 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. A funeral service will be held at 7 PM, during the evening visiting hours on Sunday. There will be a private burial at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 18, 2016 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. A funeral service will be held at 7 PM, during the evening visiting hours on Sunday. There will be a private burial at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ.
Theodore Romanowski, age 96 of Fairfield and formerly of Whiting, died peacefully on Wednesday, December 14, 2016. He was raised in Garfield and had lived in Paterson until 1982.
Ted had lived in Paterson and worked at Athenia Steel. He was ambitious and never missed an opportunity to earn overtime pay. He enjoyed a career spanning thirty three years there before retiring in 1982.
Ted’s formative years were largely shaped by the events of the Great Depression. To earn pennies, you used to walk to Passaic on Friday evenings, with his baby brother in tow, and go door-to-door in the Jewish neighborhoods turning on appliances and stoves for the Orthodox Jews who were not allowed to touch these devices after sunset on the Sabbath. He also worked briefly at the local bakery where he learned to put stuffing in donuts, and at the area dairy where he churned buttermilk and was trained as a ‘pasteurizer.’ He was able to see much of the U.S. while in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
When World War II began, Ted enlisted in the Army. Before long, he was joining the fight as a gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator with “Ken’s Men” based in Australia. Ted served for more than three years, with much of that time spent throughout the islands of the South Pacific Theatre. He spoke often of his time in the Army Air Corps and was proud of his service. During his retirement years, Ted was interviewed by a local TV station and he gave tours of bombers at airshows. On one particular occasion, Ted was concluding a tour with some elementary students when one of them approached him and asked for his autograph! He was overwhelmed with emotion and gladly accommodated. He was a member of the VFW in Whiting.
Ted met his wife Lorenza during the late 1940’s. Lorenza had actually been dating Ted’s foster brother Hank for some time before they realized their mutual affection during a Christmas party. They were soon married on June 24, 1951 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Paterson followed by a bus ride to Cape May for their honeymoon. They settled in Paterson where they raised their daughter and lived until Ted’s retirement. In 1982, they moved to Crestwood Village #7 in Whiting, NJ where Ted began to enjoy a very busy retirement. He and Lorenza were active at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Manchester, with the local Polish Club, the Hungarian Club, and various other charities. He was particularly passionate about delivering food to the Mt. Carmel Guild in Trenton, helping to feed those less privileged. He also worked part time at the Carmona-Bolen Funeral Home in Whiting where he made some great friends and enjoyed helping in any way he could. Even after Lorenza passed away in 1998, he didn’t slow down at all. At age 93, he moved to Sunrise Assisted Living in Fairfield. It’s no surprise that he remained active while living there, and he was among the most beloved residents.
Ted is survived by his loving daughter; Maryann Re and her husband Tom of Wayne, two nephews; Paul Nardone and his wife Darlene of Mcafee, NJ, Ray Romanowski and his wife Linda of Cornwall, NY, a niece; Judy Romanowski of New York, his beloved Brittany Lester and Chelsea Lester, and his step-grandchildren; Matthew, Rachel and Lauren. He was predeceased by his wife Lorenza in 1998, and by all three of his siblings; Eddy, Paula, and Hank.
Memorial donations in Ted’s honor would be appreciated to the Mt. Carmel Guild, 73 N. Clinton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08609, or visit mtcarmelguild.org.
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