A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to many, Jozefa (nee Kawalek) Solecki,  passed away peacefully with her family at her side, at the age of 95. She will be greatly missed.

Mrs. Solecki was born on Saturday, October 17, 1925, in Mosciskach, Poland, and was one of the few remaining survivors of the Soviet Gulag. At the start of World War II, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and deported close to a million Polish citizens along with her family, to the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, abbreviated NKVD, labor camp in Siberia, where she lost her father Jan Kawalek. It was on February 10, 1940, that the group was deported in cattle cars from Poland to a place called Molotowska Blas, in the Ural Mountains and "housed" in two-family buildings. There was a stove with an area on top on which a person could sleep (such stoves can still be found in rural Poland and other European countries.) Beds were covered with straw for mattresses, the Camp was called Kluczanka in the Dobranski Region. For two years, the family struggled to survive the atrocities of Stalin's regime. After the declaration of amnesty in 1942, her brother joined the Polish 2nd Corps and her elder brother joined the 1st Armoured Division, which resulted in her family being allowed to leave Siberia, by way of Teheran, Iran.

Unable to return to Poland, the family was resettled in the British territories in Africa where Jozefa was a border guard. From 1942-1943 Jozefa, along with her mother and three younger siblings, lived in the British refugee settlements of Kidugala and Tengeru in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), where she completed her high school education. Jozefa joined the Polish Air Force in Africa and eventually made it to Scotland and England where she joined the 300th Bomber Division of the Polish Air Force.

In Lincolnshire, she met her future husband, Zbigniew Solecki, who was a member of the 300th Bomber Division and he flew over 37 combat missions in his Lancaster (plane), whom she married in April of 1946. Later in 1952, Jozefa and Zbigniew took advantage of the Bill admitting Polish ex-servicemen to immigrate to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York, where she lived until her death. Jozefa and Zbigniew became productive U.S. citizens, raised a family, and educated their children.

Also known as "Mama" to everyone she met, Jozefa enjoyed endeavors, such as cooking and most loved soups, baking, gardening, and spending time with her family. Quite often Jozefa would share her life experiences with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Together with her husband Zbigniew, Jozefa belonged to the Polish Veterans of World War II, and SWAP Post #1, where she held the position of Vice Commander. She also belonged to the Ladies Auxiliary and helped coordinate many cultural and social programs organized by the Post. She received numerous awards and recognition of her achievements including the Am-Pol Eagle Citizen of the Year Award, and the Women of Distinction Award, from the Polish American Congress, WNY Division. She was also honored with the Polish Golden Medal by the Polish Government, as well as the Siberian Medal, for her hardship during WWII. Jozefa Solecki was also the oldest member of St. John Kanty Church.

Jozefa was predeceased by her best friend and soulmate, her beloved husband the late Zbigniew Solecki Sr.

She was the devoted mother of Richard B. (Margaret) Solecki, of Depew, NY; Helene (Paul) Bartus, of Parrish, Florida; Barbara (Dave) Solecki-Fenski, of Lancaster, NY, and the late Zbigniew Jr. (Mary) Solecki, of Cheektowaga, NY.

A proud grandmother of  Brian Bartus, Heather (Neil) Morrissey, Dave Fenski, Jr., Christopher Solecki, Kathryn Solecki, and loving great-grandmother of James Neil Morrissey III and Emerson Margaret.

The dearest sister of Kazik (late Celina) Kawalek, Florek (Mary) Kawalek, and the late Jozef (late Lilly) Kawalek, late Irena Nowotynski, and late Frania Koma and several nieces, nephews, and their families.

The family will be present to receive friends on Sunday, April 18, 2021, from 3 to 7 PM at the Pietszak Funeral Home, 2400 William St, (near Harlem) where services will be held on Monday, April 19, 2021, at 9 AM followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. John Kanty Church, located at 101 Swinburne Street, Buffalo New York, at 10 AM.

Interment with Military Honors will follow at the Polish Veterans Plot, in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Cheektowaga, New York.

Face coverings and social distancing will be required at all times during Mrs. Solecki's services. Current capacity restrictions may cause delayed entry.

The family appreciates your prayers and concerns for Jozefa , during these trying times and would like to thank you for your support and understanding.

Please take a minute to share a picture in our online Photo Album or a favorite memory in our Guest Book here on Mrs. Solecki's Tribute page.