Beloved wife of the late Casimer Pazik; Loving mother of Susan (Philip) DiPalma, Elaine Pazik and Robert (Mary) Pazik; Dear grandma of Jessica & Jason (Michele) DiPalma, Alexander and Anna Pazik; Great grandma of Clive, Cole and Isabella; Sister of Lawrence (Helen) Guszkowski, predeceased by five sisters, survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Family will be present for Memorial Visitation on Monday, May 13 from 4-7PM at the PERNA, DENGLER,ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME 1671 Maple Road. Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial Celebrated from St. Pius X Church on Tuesday at 10:00AM followed by Inurnment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered at
www.denglerrobertspernawilliamsville.com.
Good Morning, on behalf Susan, Elaine and myself, I wish to thank all of you for the compassion, support and love you have shown us these past couple weeks. It has been a very humbling experience for all of us. as we truly feel the immense love, care and support you all have shown us in this time of grief.
Theresa Eleanor Guszkowski was born on Dec. 24 1928 to Lawrence and Helen Guszkowski a Christmas gift, she was the 6th child. Her sisters were Jane, Millie, Eleanor, Dorothy and Loretta. Lawrence Jr. her only brother was born to the family a few years later. She attended Assumption School and St. Mary’s School of Business.
One day at a CYO event she met a handsome gentleman from North Tonawanda NY and eventually married him on November 18, 1950, our father Casey Pazik.
They had 3 wonderful children, Susan, Elaine and the Baby of family me.
When I was growing up our mother worked part time at the A&P grocery store on Hertel Ave. But her real job was at home taking care of her family. She did do a few things on the side which we cannot mention due to possible legal trouble, just kidding the IRS can’t touch her now. She cleaned houses a job that she enjoyed for many years until she broke her arm. She also worked at the convent of St Benedicts where she cooked meals for the nuns.
Growing up she had a group of girlfriends that remained closed friends through out the years. Tessie, Doris, Dolores, Sylvia and Rosie. They called themselves the SS club. Over the years we have always wondered what SS club stood for. Mom always said that they all promised that no one would never ever tell what it stood for. I will reveal the meaning later.
She was mostly proud of her grand children, Jessica, Jason, Alex & Anna. They were her pride and joy. In her eyes they could do no wrong. She was proud of how they have grown up and succeeded in their lives. Sometimes she was not happy about the roads that they were taking to reach who they are today and she would say “Why do you want to move to Argentina”, “why do you want that big wild dog”, “Why do you need blue hair” “I want you to get that nose ring out of your nose before I die” “Such a pretty girl why do you need to wear so much makeup”. Sometimes Mom was a little over protective like she would make Jessica and Jason wait a full hour after they ate lunch before they could go into the four foot pool. When Jessica was little she would call Grandma - No No , because grandma a would say to her “no no - don’t touch that or no no that is hot”
Seriously, Mom was a great babysitter, she sat for all of her grandchildren and loved to be with them and would change her and papa’s schedule to help out. Mary and I never had to hire a babysitter. She was so good that Mary and I entrusted her to watch her fur grandchildren Pluto and Barney.
Her Great Grand Children Clive, Cole and Isabella were her third set of children being around her and she loved every minute that she was able to spend with them.
Groucho Marx said it best “Behind every successful man is a woman” Mom was that – she would shy away from the limelight – Dad was the out going one, but Mom liked to stay behind the scenes. She would rather do things in the background and not look for any accolades.
She also liked to give you her opinion whether you asked for it or not – She would speak her mind even up to the last day. She had many ways of getting her point across.
She scarred me about cats – She told me to never leave a cat near a baby because they will see the Adam’s apple moving in their throats and will go after it and smother the baby.
But she could also take some ribbing, Jason would love to tease grand mom that he was going to buy her a bird. Our mother never liked birds especially if they flew freely in a house.
Mom loved to cook and bake which rubbed off on all three of us. At Easter time she would bake at least 50 – 75 Placeks, I am a little biased but there was nothing out there in any store or bakery that could compare to her’s. We said that she should sell these, but she never wanted to do that. They were made with love, it was her way of celebrating Easter. Pierogi making started with just grandma, then she added sue & Elaine, finally she let Anna and I join down the road because they needed help with the rolling, Anna rolled so much that her arms were sore – right Anna, recently over the past few years it became an all out family affair. Jason, Clive, Cole Isabella, Deanne and Hana joined in the work. I think in December of 2022 we made over 600 pierogi’s by hand.
The torch of making Pierogi’s, Placek & Chrusciki has now been passed to Elaine.
Grandma was a very handy person, before Phil joined our family she would be the one who would handle a hammer and Fix everything around the house. She was the one that taught me how to paint, wallpaper and Polka.
As I got older I never saw that my mother was aging, until one day it hit me. Mom was sharp as a tack until the end. Unfortunately, the body was failing.
The day before mom passed away we were sitting on her couch in the living room and I was talking with her, and I said Ok what is the meaning of the SS club. She looked at me and went like this, I said I know that Doris’s husband was told before he went off to Vietnam, I am sure they others have spilled the beans. Is it the Sexy Six? She looked at me and said ‘YOU said it not me.’
Thank you, Barbara, Joannie and Mary Stanwick. She loved when you would stop by and visit. For her it was a chance to talk with family and friends and she greatly appreciated it.
I’d like to take this opportunity, to publicly thank Elaine, Sue and Phil who enhanced my mother’s quality of life. Phil and Sue would always stop by to visit her. Whether she needed a ride to go to an appointment, needed Phil to fix something or just to say hello. Where do I begin with Elaine, who has devoted her life to taking care of my father and mother. She was there with mom after our dad died and took care of her. The last couple of months were especially difficult on Elaine. Elaine never complained. She has used her nursing skills to their highest level. The love, comfort and care that you have shown mom & dad shall never be forgotten.
A few minutes before she passed she kept saying she wanted to go home. She raised both of her arms and was grabbing for something in the air, then she was knocking on the edge of her tray almost like she was knocking on a door. She proceeded to take my hand and rub it against her cheek. Then the nurse walked in and asked her where she was and my mother answered “I don’t know”. Within a few minutes she was gone. Looking back now, I witnessed a very peaceful transition for her. I know Jesus was there with open arms welcoming her into eternal happiness.
Mom we love you and you will be missed, but we know that you are up in heaven with papa and will enjoy everlasting life that you earned from the 95 years you spent on this earth.
Grandma’s Eulogy – 2024
For those of us with online banking or other accounts you access online, you are familiar with the need to create a user name and password. As part of that process, we are asked to pick from a list of security questions in which you provide a response which is then used as part of an authentication process to the extent we forget our password.
Regardless of the company, these security questions are standard in most cases. In fact, as I speak about this, probably many of you are picturing them in your head. Questions like, “What was your high school mascot?”, “What was the make and model of your first car?”, “What is your favorite vacation spot?” and so forth. If you are like me, I usually pick the same questions for each password so I have a better chance of not forgetting. Well, from my very first experiences with this process as I thoroughly reviewed all the questions, one of the questions I always chose was “What was your favorite childhood memory?”. As silly as it sounds, I can still remember the first time seeing this question many years ago because my heart lit up inside to know the answer I would put. At the risk of you all being able to hack into my accounts, I am going to tell you what my response is, “590 Lisbon Ave.” For those of you who may not recognize this address let me share with you that it is the street address of my Grandmother’s house for my entire childhood.
To confirm, I was not a deprived child. God blessed me with opportunities to experience many wonderful things growing up, some of which were identical to the fun things that I looked forward to doing at my Grandma’s; however, it was not the same.
I chose to open this way because it really provides powerfully the magnitude that my Grandmother had on my life from my earliest years and all the way up through my current middle-aged life. And through that time span “590 Lisbon Ave.” became “112 Larkspur Lane”; however, the wonder, excitement and magic still stayed the same because it wasn’t about the house itself it was my Grandmother’s heart that created the home within it.
Before I go further, let me acknowledge that my Grandfather, my Aunt Elaine and my Uncle Bob were major players in the specialness of going to Grandma’s house as well. In fact, in many cases when it came to actually going out and doing things, like going to the mall, putt putt, bowling, the movies, and so forth, many times Grandma did not come to those places; however, she was indeed always present! See all those things were so special because it was my Grandmother who sent you off with love and excitement, and it was Grandma who welcomed you home, and not just with hugs and kisses but with her expertise of love which was poured into the special dinners she prepared or preparations for the next activity. You see, my Grandma was one who knew her strengths and her weaknesses. She was a woman of great wisdom, not earthly wisdom, but true Godly wisdom in which she knew how to set her boundaries, she knew her calling and she executed it diligently throughout her entire life.
For example, for those of you who don’t know it, God indeed does have a great sense of humor and He is a perfectly fantastic author of the lives of humanity. Now there is black and white, night and day, hot and cold and there is my Grandparents, Casey and Theresa. Never in all of time could you find two more polar opposites; they don’t just define opposites attract; they may have started the cliché. In a quick summary fashion, when you think of my Grandfather you can say an extrovert on steroids, a fun, wild and crazy, the world holds no limits kind of guy. When it comes to my Grandmother, I think it is safe to say she was more than mildly different. My Grandma was absolutely a fun person but she brought forth that fun through wisdom and love. It seems like as time goes on they keep coming up with new trendier names for Grandparents. I don’t know if it stems from age complexes, but instead of Grandma, we have things today like Mimi, Moma, or maybe even Mom2. Well, when my sister and I were little, we had a name for Grandma and it was “No-No”. Grandma earned this name through her own efforts as she would always be saying “No, No,” to us when we were little. My Grandfather of course loved this, and truthfully so did my Grandmother. The word “No” is undoubtedly the most frustrating word to a child in all languages. I don’t know how to explain it but, it never was hard to hear it from Grandma, for when Grandma said it, it was refreshing, not only because you could feel her love and warmth, but because she always somehow made you see clearly how her way was better. I will not argue the fact that many could say that my Grandmother was a worrier. The Bible clearly tells us that we are to be anxious for nothing, that we do not have a spirit of fear, but of love and power and sound-mind. And my Grandmother absolutely had a Spirit of love and power and sound-mind. See Grandma’s “worrying” was not an absence of her Faith or doubt in the Lord and His provision, but rather it was almost like a super power and expression of the great love and care she had for her family and friends. If Grandma worried about you or a situation you were facing, it was her loving you and what was worry on the outside was prayers of Fatih for you on the inside. Bringing this back, you see God’s uniting of my Grandparents had a perfect purpose as it brought forth further God’s calling for my Grandmother which I will make clearer here in a moment.
We have reached the point where when I was originally preparing my thoughts that I wanted to share with you today, I had thought I would provide more specific examples from my own personal experiences with Grandma that further solidified this Loving Home that my Grandmother was in herself. However, a righteous argument could be made that I am biased. I mean after all, there are countless numbers of grandchildren out there who can make cases as to their grandmother being the absolute best. For example, even though I know my Grandmother made the best potato salad, pierogis, placzek and many other unbelievable dishes of love; someone else could disagree. Thus, I knew I could not let my Grandma’s life be simply measured by her loving grandchildren, and in seeking the Lord, He showed me to bring it to Him and let her be measured by His standard.
At this time, I would ask you to kindly close your eyes as I read from the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 31. This passage of Scripture is titled “The Virtuous Wife”. Like me, those of you in attendance today have your own special relationship with my Grandmother, Theresa. With your eyes closed, as I read, I ask you to think about Theresa, her life and her love in comparison to God’s Word herein.
**READ PROVERBS 31:10-31**
The Virtuous Wife
10 Who[c] can find a [d]virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [e]her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Now, I honestly can say that it would be unfair for me to argue with you that my Grandmother made the best pierogi’s. I have to concede that that is my opinion; however, what no one can argue against is that Theresa Pazik, my Grandmother, met God’s mark of everything that he designed and called her to be! Yes, my Grandma is a shining example of this virtuous wife, mother and grandmother! She did not need the limelight; she did not have to shout her voice amongst the masses. She knew what God had called her to do and blessed her to do for 95 years, which was to create a HOME, one built on the Rock and Love of Christ which was a LIGHT House to all who had the blessing of knowing her. And how un-ironic that my Grandmother loved lighthouses. See my Grandma did not just live at 590 Lisbon Ave., she was 590 Lisbon Ave. And though my Grandmother may have attempted to be silent and reserved, God made her shine as the brightest rock among all the gems!
95 years. Not bad for a woman known to be a worrier at times. Not bad at all, because it was not a coincidence, it was a God’s blessing both to her and to us! On my father’s side of the family, I am one of 18 grandchildren. And though there is great love on my father’s side of the family, I will so ever be gratefully thankful to God for the blessing he gave to my sister and I to be the only grandchildren on my mother’s side of the family all throughout our childhood. He single handedly blessed us with Grandma’s love to be poured upon us in every way. An hour distance between our homes meant nothing to Grandma. She was at every event and could always give me hope and peace that I would see her again soon when I would be teary eyed when it was time for her or us to go home. But see, the blessing went on, for in my sister’s and my early 20’s, God brought my cousins Alex and Anna into our lives, and I cannot describe the joy not only for us to have cousins, but to know and watch them get spoiled with the unbelievable love of my Grandmother poured upon them in the same manner, while still reaping the unwavering love, wisdom and guidance of my Grandma in my early adulthood! And as one of my favorite hymns proclaims “HE’ll do it again!” And God sure did, as Alex and Anna grew and entered into the next phase of Grandma’s love and wisdom, God blessed Grandma with yet a third generation of grandchildren, her great grandchildren, to pour her love into. And let me tell you as my Grandmother use to watch our first son Clive as a baby, she was the only one who could get him to stay in the play pen and take a nap, with a smile on his face mind you, simply by saying “No-No” in the perfect way that only she could.
In conclusion, I want to Praise God again for this amazing life of my Grandmother and the 95 years He has both blessed her and us with tremendously. Sometime during what would be my Grandma’s final days, as I prayed with her, I let her on to the fact that for years I have prayed that both she and my other Grandmother would live to be at least 100 years and more for the Glory of God. And with smile and peace in her own special way, which God later confirmed with me the day she passed, she let me know that she did not want me to pray that prayer any further. It was time for this 3-generation starred Grandmother who was a Home to all she came into contact with, to now go HOME. And I pray that as we all Praise God for the blessing of her 95 years on this earth, keep in mind that this life is a vapor and it will come to an end. Yes, it is all about eternity with Him. My Grandmother, finished her race, she met God’s calling, and she was welcomed by Her Heavenly Father and Lord, who I am sure has told her “Well done thou good and faithful servant!” May you all go with God and the same conviction to live God’s calling on your life as Grandma did!
And Grandma, between you and I, I can’t wait to see you again and have you tell me how God had you enter into his Glorious Kingdom on your own bicycle.
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