Mieczyslaw Budzich

LEXINGTON – Mieczyslaw “Mike” Budzich, 87, died Wednesday, May 9, 2012. A long-time resident of Lexington County, Mike was born on October 29, 1924 in Poland at the estate of his parents owned for generations.

Mike and his older brother, Ted, escaped Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II and the two teenagers joined the Polish Army Forces and served on several fronts throughout Europe and Africa. They joined the British RAF (Royal Air Force), and Ted was awarded a Virtuti Militari – a Polish medal equivalent to the American Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by England’s Queen Elizabeth II.

After the war, the brothers went to school in England. Both earned engineering degrees before moving to the United States. Ted started his own engineering company, and Mike was hired by AT&T where he began a long, successful career. A brilliant engineer, Mike had more than 30 patents and contributed to technological breakthroughs (i.e., optic cable while at the Bell Labs) of the 1960’s and 1970’s and went on to lecture at Brown and Cornell Universities.

Mike moved to Lexington when AT&T opened its recycling plant in Gaston, SC, and he fell in love with the Palmetto State, especially the Lake Murray area, where he lived for over 30 years with his dogs, birds and other God-created creatures he admired.

Mike is survived by his niece, Eva Dobrowolski, whom he helped get established in this country. She and other family members will honor Mike with a memorial service in his native Poland, where he will be buried in a family grave next to his parents and siblings at a later date.

Mike and his buddies were regulars at Wings & Ale of Lexington. Eva would like to invite Mike’s many friends to gather for a Celebration of Life Party at Wings & Ale on Wednesday, May 16, from 5:00 until 7:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any animal shelter of your choice.