Kenneth Michael Nowicki

He was born on February 26, 1935 to Judge Adam and Lillian Nowicki (nee Piotrowski). He has one younger brother, Roger. They lived in the Detroit area of Seven Mile and Van Dyke until his family moved to 15908 Dublin Avenue, Birmingham when he was starting high school. His father was a haberdasher, who returned to school to study law and become an attorney after his children were born. Adam also owned New Deal Grocery Store in Hamtramck. Kenneth worked at his father’s grocery store between the ages of 15-23. Adam also became a successful real estate and landowner. As a boy, Kenneth was close to his Uncle Al Piotrowski, who predeceased Kenneth as did Kenneth’s parents.

In 1953, Kenneth graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School with highest honors, receiving a Classical diploma. He received “The Classical Award” for achieving the highest average in Classical Course – four years of Latin and two years of Greek. In college he studied German. He knew Polish from the time he was a child as they spoke it in his home.

He matriculated to University of Michigan Medical School. In 1960 he graduated at the top of his class.

He married Rose Marie Zalewski on November 20, 1961. She was a Registered Nurse. They met while working together at Harper Hospital.

He was drafted into the US Navy January 1962. He was stationed in San Diego, where he served as a doctor for the US Marine Corps. Even though his official rank was that of a Naval Lieutenant, he considered himself as a Marine because he served along side them and had great respect for their duties. He was on board one of the ships that went through the Panama Canal to The Caribbean Sea to face down Russian missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis where he continued to tend to the Marine Corp members medical issues. During the Missile Crisis, he was aboard one of the ships surrounding Cuba, his wife was pregnant with their first child.

He was discharged in August of 1964, He always quipped that the Naval officials asked him prior to his discharge if he wanted to sign on for more duty, but he told them, “No, I’ve had enough.” He returned to the Detroit area with his wife and sone where all of them lived with Adam and Lillian in Birmingham until the young family moved to Royal Oak.  Their second child was born with a very severe disability. The Nowicki’s were very devoted to their son and his care; Rose gave up her nursing career to care for her child. Eventually the Nowicki’s moved to Bloomfield Hills where they settled for several decades.

He shared a story many times that when he was a very young doctor he was working at the hospital and the older doctors assigned him to a case of an extremely ill female patient. The older doctors had given up on her because they thought she was a lost cause, not worth their time. Additionally, she was African American. They told him, “Go in there and just do what you can do,” as if to suggest she was his experiment. He managed to save her life. Months later, she returned to the hospital specifically to seek him out and thank him.

After his time in the Navy serving the Marines, he spent the next three decades as a radiologist and nuclear physicist at Hutzel and Harper Hospitals. He became board certified in radiology and in nuclear medicine in it’s very early days. He was a partner at Reynolds and Associates. He and other members of his group x-rayed and examined an ancient Egyptian Mummy. He worked for several years as a professor at Wayne State Medical School.

When he retired in 1997, he was presented with a document from the hospitals declaring that during his career between July 1967-July 1997 he had interpreted a grand total of 281,891 radiographs.

He is survived by his brother Roger Nowicki, son Michael Nowicki (Karen) and son Charles Nowicki.

He enjoyed movies, live theatre, concerts, opera, art fairs and spectator sports, most especially the Detroit Lions. He was a life-long and very devoted fan.

He enjoyed gardening and absolutely delighted in his extensive Christmas decoration collection. He liked going to his condo in Long Boat Key, Florida and traveled to various parts of the US, but he particularly loved Northern Michigan.

As his wife’s health declined he became her devoted care giver until her death in 2016. After at 2017 auto accident which greatly affected his overall health, he moved to Lakeshore Senior living where, “Everything is just how I pictured it would be in my final years.” He was able to relax in his apartment and enjoy the view.

He died on Christmas Day surrounded by his loved ones and a small portion of his extensive and beloved Christmas decorations.

Visitation is on Tuesday December 29 from 2-8pm at A.H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236. Rosary at 7pm. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Ambrose Catholic Parish at 11 am Wednesday December 30, 15020 Hampton, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230.

In lieu of flowers the family asks for any contributions to be made to the Solanus Casey Center, 1780 Mt. Elliot Street, Detroit, MI 48207, www.solanuscenter.org.