Casimir Zwaryck

Formerly from Greenlawn, Long Island, NY, he was born to Victoria Tandelska Zwaryck and Michael Zwaryck on June 3, 1916 in New York, NY.

He is predeceased by his parents, his first wife of 59 years, Margaret (Tootsie) Frances Curico Zwaryck, his daughter, Joanne Buhler and six siblings, William Zwaryck, William Mudryk, Antoinette Schupp, Yadwiga Zwaryck, Mary McCoy and Jane Werner.

He is survived by seven children, Margaret Wickel of E. Northport, LI, NY, Mary Jane Macdonald of PSL, FL, Carol and John Walters of Setauket, LI, NY, Gene Zwaryck of Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, Theresa and John Plaisted of Berwick, ME, Ann Marie Williamson of Whitestone, NY and Kathleen Zwaryck of Eatonton, GA; 18 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren; his ex-wife, Ellie Mae Galko of Siloam Springs, AR; six siblings, Nellie (Stella) Mudryk, Helen Lunsford, Anna Carney, John (Sonny) Mudryk, Frances (Chick) Boguta and Elizabeth (Betty) Hommel.

Charlie was a WWII veteran, having served on the USS Missouri. He had an opportunity to revisit his ship in Hawaii when it was being decomissioned as a museum. He participated in a video during that visit as he toured the ship and talked about his job and life on-board.

As a boy in NY, he delivered newspapers and often spoke of delivering newspapers to some very important people, Gov. Roosevelt, Ed Sullivan, Fancy Bryse, and the Vanderbilts. He had a secret crush on Gloria Vanderbilt. He would take his time delivering the papers because at 4:30 each afternoon, the limo would pull up and Gloria would wave to him. He also delivered newspapers to Mr. Woodin who was the Secretary of the Treasurry at that time and whom the phrase "Don't take any wooden nickels" came from.

Prior to getting married, Charlie worked for Sarah Potter Conover, Inc., an antique dealer where he did odd jobs and was a chauffeur. When the war started, he went to work at the Kearny, NJ shipyard as a pipefitter. He left his wife and three young daughters to serve one year in the US Navy; and then went to work for Railway Express and the US Post Office. After nine years of driving trucks, he took time off and traveled out west to be a "cowboy". When he returned, he went to work for the US Treasury Dept as a US Custom's Inspector. He retired in 1980 as a Custom's Inspector at Kennedy Airport, NY.

Throuout his retirement years, he loved to sit and chat about his life and "escapes". He was a "jack of all trades" and could build or fix anything that was presented to him. He loved animals, particularly horses and was able to enjoy watching his children ride over the years. For his 91st birthday, he was given his first horse, Caz. Although he could not ride, he enjoyed petting and watching Caz being ridden by Caz's adopted owner, Kathy Osborne.

Charlie will be sadly missed but remembered as a man of determination, compassion, humor and many many stories.