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September 15, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Friday, September 19, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation RC Church, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the First Reformed Church Cemetery, Pompton Plains.
Zygmunt “Ziggy” Goralski, age 90 of Wayne, died suddenly at home on Monday, September 15, 2014.
Born in Poland, Ziggy had a rather typical childhood up to about the age of sixteen. At that time, he was all packed and ready to go off to secondary school when he began to hear loud explosions off in the distance. It was September of 1939 and the Germans had begun to invade Poland. He and many of the young people of his town, Alexandrow Kujawski , were packed onto trains at gunpoint and sent to work camps in Germany. Ziggy spent the next several years in various labor camps working as a farmer and being forced to repair railroads that had been damaged by the Allies. One particular story he told was of exploring a railcar that had derailed and rolled over next to the damaged tracks he was repairing. Ziggy and another boy forced open the railcar door, just to see what was inside, only to discover a frightened Allied airman hiding! Despite the risk to their own lives, they didn’t reveal the airman to the Nazi guards and instead, Ziggy and the other boy helped to draw the airman a map, leading him out of German territory. Ziggy never learned anything more of that airman’s fate, but he knew he had done the right thing. After the war, Ziggy went to work for the Red Cross, distributing aid supplies and helping to translate, as he was fluent in five languages then. Eventually, he earned a ticket aboard the SS Marine Jumper which delivered him to Pier 51 in New York City. The trip was so memorable, Ziggy vowed to NEVER sail again!
He settled in with his aunt in Passaic, NJ and began working at a local handkerchief factory. This led to welding job at a large scale manufacturer and then he landed his career job at the Falstrom Company. He became a fastidious welder and draftsman, designing all sorts of custom equipment for the government, including cabinetry for submarines, and some equipment that ended up onboard the Space Shuttle. He was well respected among his peers and proud to be the President of Union Local 5370 for more than twenty years.
Ziggy co-founded the Vistula Sport Club in Passaic, which speaks to his profound love of soccer; he played the game his entire life. As a referee throughout the area for many decades, Ziggy was an official at many local high school games well into his 70’s. He enjoyed the game immensely.
Ziggy took very seriously his responsibility to serve the community. During his earliest days in Passaic, he became involved with the Polish Peoples Home there, serving as Director for many years, and he was chairman of the 50th Anniversary celebration. Recently, the Polish Peoples Home celebrated their 100th Anniversary and they invited Ziggy as their honorary guest. He was also a fifty-one year member of Wayne Volunteer Fire Company #3, joining in 1963. He loved the fire department and all the great comradery that went along with it. He especially enjoyed earning various accolades and medals for his service, all of which he would proudly display on his dress uniform. Ziggy was also a founding member of Our Lady of Consolation RC Church in Wayne, having attended the earliest services which were held at Schuyler Colfax School. He served as a Eucharistic Minister and Usher for many years and held strong to his Catholic faith.
Ziggy met his wife, Anne (Chrzastek), at a Polish social dance in Passaic, which were regular occasions at the time. The two had known each other living in Passaic and they enjoyed fifty six years of “loving and old-fashioned” marriage together, with many comic moments thrown in there, not much unlike an episode of “I Love Lucy”. Sadly, Anne passed in 2008.
Ziggy was a devoted father and grandfather. He is survived by his four children; John and his wife Ruth of Milford, PA, Joseph of Butler, NJ, James of Kinnelon, and Joanne Oakum and her husband Daniel of Conygham, PA, six grandchildren; Michael E. Goralski, Daniel P. Oakum, Jr., Joseph Z. Oakum, James T. Oakum, Matthew G. Oakum, and Kathryn Goralski, and many nieces and nephews. Ziggy was predeceased by his young son Thomas, who died at just five years of age, and by his beloved wife Anne in 2008.
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 Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Friday, September 19, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation RC Church, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the First Reformed Church Cemetery, Pompton Plains.
September 15, 2014
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Friday, September 19, 2014 from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation RC Church, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the First Reformed Church Cemetery, Pompton Plains.
Zygmunt “Ziggy” Goralski, age 90 of Wayne, died suddenly at home on Monday, September 15, 2014.
Born in Poland, Ziggy had a rather typical childhood up to about the age of sixteen. At that time, he was all packed and ready to go off to secondary school when he began to hear loud explosions off in the distance. It was September of 1939 and the Germans had begun to invade Poland. He and many of the young people of his town, Alexandrow Kujawski , were packed onto trains at gunpoint and sent to work camps in Germany. Ziggy spent the next several years in various labor camps working as a farmer and being forced to repair railroads that had been damaged by the Allies. One particular story he told was of exploring a railcar that had derailed and rolled over next to the damaged tracks he was repairing. Ziggy and another boy forced open the railcar door, just to see what was inside, only to discover a frightened Allied airman hiding! Despite the risk to their own lives, they didn’t reveal the airman to the Nazi guards and instead, Ziggy and the other boy helped to draw the airman a map, leading him out of German territory. Ziggy never learned anything more of that airman’s fate, but he knew he had done the right thing. After the war, Ziggy went to work for the Red Cross, distributing aid supplies and helping to translate, as he was fluent in five languages then. Eventually, he earned a ticket aboard the SS Marine Jumper which delivered him to Pier 51 in New York City. The trip was so memorable, Ziggy vowed to NEVER sail again!
He settled in with his aunt in Passaic, NJ and began working at a local handkerchief factory. This led to welding job at a large scale manufacturer and then he landed his career job at the Falstrom Company. He became a fastidious welder and draftsman, designing all sorts of custom equipment for the government, including cabinetry for submarines, and some equipment that ended up onboard the Space Shuttle. He was well respected among his peers and proud to be the President of Union Local 5370 for more than twenty years.
Ziggy co-founded the Vistula Sport Club in Passaic, which speaks to his profound love of soccer; he played the game his entire life. As a referee throughout the area for many decades, Ziggy was an official at many local high school games well into his 70’s. He enjoyed the game immensely.
Ziggy took very seriously his responsibility to serve the community. During his earliest days in Passaic, he became involved with the Polish Peoples Home there, serving as Director for many years, and he was chairman of the 50th Anniversary celebration. Recently, the Polish Peoples Home celebrated their 100th Anniversary and they invited Ziggy as their honorary guest. He was also a fifty-one year member of Wayne Volunteer Fire Company #3, joining in 1963. He loved the fire department and all the great comradery that went along with it. He especially enjoyed earning various accolades and medals for his service, all of which he would proudly display on his dress uniform. Ziggy was also a founding member of Our Lady of Consolation RC Church in Wayne, having attended the earliest services which were held at Schuyler Colfax School. He served as a Eucharistic Minister and Usher for many years and held strong to his Catholic faith.
Ziggy met his wife, Anne (Chrzastek), at a Polish social dance in Passaic, which were regular occasions at the time. The two had known each other living in Passaic and they enjoyed fifty six years of “loving and old-fashioned” marriage together, with many comic moments thrown in there, not much unlike an episode of “I Love Lucy”. Sadly, Anne passed in 2008.
Ziggy was a devoted father and grandfather. He is survived by his four children; John and his wife Ruth of Milford, PA, Joseph of Butler, NJ, James of Kinnelon, and Joanne Oakum and her husband Daniel of Conygham, PA, six grandchildren; Michael E. Goralski, Daniel P. Oakum, Jr., Joseph Z. Oakum, James T. Oakum, Matthew G. Oakum, and Kathryn Goralski, and many nieces and nephews. Ziggy was predeceased by his young son Thomas, who died at just five years of age, and by his beloved wife Anne in 2008.
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