Slawek Lech 1934

Dear friends,

We have gathered here today to bid farewell to a wonderful man, a good friend, a loving husband, a caring father.

Most of you met my father only after he was affected by the terrible, debilitating disease, Alzheimer's. But - obviously - he wasn't always that way. He was a vibrant, colorful man leading a very active life, and it was wonderful to be a part of it.

Slawek was born in 1934, in a small town of Jedrzejow near Krakow. As a youth he rode motorcycles. His fascination with these noisy beasts started when he, along with his twin brother Mietek rode their father's Triumph motorcycle, which - by the way - was the only motorcycle with a side-car in town. To be more cool, they rode the bike without a muffler, which thrilled all the girls, and instilled fear in righteous citizens of the small town.

Years later the two brothers took part in motor-cross competitions in Zakopane. Later they partook in car races.

They loved their mechanical horses so much that in August of 1965 they embarked on a long, grueling trip to a country then known as Yugoslavia. My father's brother Mietek with his wife traveled by a tiny car Mikrus, while Slawek and his friend rode a scooter! All the way to Yugoslavia! They were not scared of adventures, after all, nothing could happen to their vehicles which they couldn't fix themselves!

Slawek graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Wroclaw Technical University, later he completed more courses in nuclear energy. At the university he was often the center of attention, he used to sing in the style of Louis Armstrong, to entertain his friends.

The first time he saw my mother, he said to his brother he had met his future wife. Two days later, on a hike with my mother he collected bunches of wildflowers and - giving them to my mom - he kept asking "Will you be my wife? Will you be my wife?" Forty good years passed since that day. Thanks for saying YES, mom.

Throughout his life, he followed his father's advice "If you want to do something, try to do it by yourself, you'll get more satisfaction out of it."

He was a wonderful story-teller. He had a beautiful voice. He loved to sing, although he was always terribly out of tune. Except when he pretended to be Louis Armstrong, of course. He enjoyed telling jokes, with which he won over peoples' hearts. He loved to travel and would work overtime to make extra money. Life would not be the same without a summer trip!

After I was born, his nightly chore was to wash my cloth diapers. My parents owned an old, washing machine called Frania, which some of you might still remember. Hunched over the washing machine, he spent hours washing and learning English. I count that as my significant contribution to his education. I like to think that without me - and my diapers - he would not have experienced the next chapter of his life. And what a chapter it was!

Once he learned the language, he started traveling abroad. His first destination was Italy. After spending a couple of years there, the following seven years he lived in the UK, where he worked as a contract manager. In 1983 our great African adventure began. The first three years he taught at a university. Then he was invited to be the chief of a United Nations contract in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian trip left a lasting mark on his health. He fell sick with brain malaria, and the Polish doctors came to the conclusion that the disease causes dementia. It was hard to believe, for him as for us, life went on as usual, and the fact that he forgot things seemed normal. For years my mother could not accept the fact that this was a serious disease, and she helped him in everyday chores, which grew more and more challenging as time went by.

He taught me many things. He taught me how to ski. He skied very well. Only a couple of years ago we enjoyed the snow together on the slopes of Mt Hood in Oregon. But most of all I appreciate him teaching me compassion towards people and all living creatures.

These are just a few memories from the 73 years of my father's colorful life. It all ended just before midnight on the 25th of September.

He was a sweet, charming man and although the last years of the disease ravaged his body and mind, we will always remember him as the vibrant person he was.

Today he is not among us, and we can only pray for his soul.

We will miss you greatly, father, our hears will always be with you.

Patryk

        Z glebi serca bardzo serdecznie dziekuje wszystkim, ktorzy przyszli zeby wspolnie pozegnac mego najukochanszego meza Slawka Lecha, ktory zmarl 9/25/07. Wszystkim ktorzy modlili sie oraz modla sie w jego intencji, wszystkim ktorzy pomagali w rozny sposob w najtrudniejszych dla mnie chwilach. Dziekuje za kazde cieple slowo, za kazda pomoc ktorej doswiadczylam w czasie jego choroby i pozniej po jego odejsciu.

       Dziekuje za piekna pozegnalna msze. Dziekuje najserdeczniej za wzruszjace slowa kazania naszemu diakonowi Antoniemu Rudnickiemu. Za wspaniala muzyke dziekuje Darkowi Pawlasowi i Uli Siwek, Kasi Kimmel i Kleofasowi-Rundzio.

      Dziekuje z calego serca Rozy Pilsudskiej-Ekimov za ogromna codzienna pomoc w czasie choroby Slawka, za wszystkie madre rady Ewie Elenberg, za spedzenie wielu godzin ze Slawkiem w ostatnich dniach jego zycia Bozenie Ilakowicz, dziekuje za kazde cieple slowo pociechy od wielu osob, ktore podtrzymywaly i podtrzymuja mnie w dalszym ciagu na duchu, za slowa otuchy, ktore pozwalaja mi przetrwac, za kazdy cieply obiad ktory zostal przygotowany dla Slawka w czasie jego choroby.

      Dziekuje bardzo serdecznie Halince Kalaby i Marzenie Rudnicki za pomoc w przygotowaniu pozegnalnego przyjecia po mszy, dziekuje wszystkim ktorzy sie wlaczyli do przygotowania tej uroczystosci.

                   Dziekuje
                   Marynka Lech wraz z Patrykiem i Cindy