Lawrence Chadzynski

Public health administrator, football/baseball coach and dedicated family man, Lawrence Chadzynski, passed away peacefully at his home on Feb. 16, 2026 with his family by his side. Lawrence was born on March 18, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan and is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Mary Ann Gorski Eyde; his three daughters Susan DeMaggio of San Diego, CA; Nancy (Bruce) McFee of Haslett, MI; and Karen (David) Mattheis of Endicott, New York; 7 grandchildren (David, Daniel, Jeremy, Andrew, Allison, Kirstie and Chad); 8 great-grandchildren (Joseph, Isaiah, Leo, Avery, Eva, Max, Charles and June); and sister Lorraine Kurowski of Santa Clarita, California. Additionally, numerous nieces and nephews happily called him “Uncle Larry.” His first wife of 43 years, high school sweetheart Virginia Zaba, passed away in 1997.

Lawrence graduated from St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck in 1949, received his undergraduate business degree from University of Detroit, and earned a master’s in public health, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Michigan.

His lifelong interest in sports served him during the Korean War, where as an Army PFC (1951-1953), he coached and played corps league on the Polk Fort football and baseball teams to foster troop morale.

After the war, Lawrence joined the Detroit Health Department where he rose through the ranks to lead various studies and programs. With a keen interest in the effects of lead poisoning on children, he contributed a chapter to the scientific standard “Low Level Lead Exposure: The Clinical Implications of Current Research,” published in 1980.

In his spare time, Lawrence coached football and baseball in Detroit at St. Ladislaus High School, becoming the head coach at St. Anthony’s High School in the 1960s.

He retired from the Detroit Health Department, but continued his career in Spokane, Washington where he was appointed Director of Environmental Services in 1982. He returned to Michigan in 1985 to become the state’s Chief of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences where he was instrumental in drafting and implementing Michigan’s Medical Waste Program, researching the effects of Agent Orange on Michigan’s Veterans, and establishing various environmental safety regulations.

Ever a coach and mentor, Lawrence further shared his extraordinary administrative abilities and management expertise as a guest lecturer on public health issues at Wayne State University, Central Michigan University, and the University of Detroit; and was a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Bureau of Environmental Health.

With an official retirement in 1989, after 30-some years in public health service, Lawrence and Mary Ann settled in East Lansing and traveled internationally, balancing time spent with friends and family. In lieu of flowers, charities close to Lawrence’s heart include the Wounded Warriors Foundation (support.woundedwarriorproject.org) and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (pva.org).

Visitation will be held Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 at 11 a.m. with the Funeral Mass to follow at noon at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 915 Alton Road in East Lansing.