Richard Daniel Grzebinski

Ski was born in Buffalo, NY, on May 21, 1937, to the late John and Magdalene (Eron) Grzebinski. On July 6, 1954, at the age of 17, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served in Libya, Germany, and at five stateside bases. While stationed in Germany, he met Ingeborg Ellen Bischoff—who did not speak a word of English at the time. They were married on February 2, 1962, and shortly afterward, he whisked her off to the United States.

Following his active-duty service, Ski joined the Air Force Reserve as an aircraft loadmaster, delivering cargo to overseas bases, including Vietnam, where he encountered hostile fire. After 26 years of service, he retired from the Air Force with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.

Ski’s civilian career included work as a Revenue Officer for the Internal Revenue Service in Kansas City. He was later assigned to IRS headquarters, where he served as a Computer Systems Manager. He then accepted a position with the Environmental Protection Agency as a Project Manager and went on to contribute to projects for both the National Institute of Health and the IRS.

After leaving government service, Ski became a consultant on taxation systems for the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations, and U.S. Treasury Department. His consulting work took him to Estonia, Romania, Poland, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Once Ski retired, he enjoyed spending time “puttering” in his garden, driving his wife crazy, and holding “staff meetings” in his driveway with neighbors and friends—always generously providing the cheapest beer he could find. For the past 30 years, he also spent many afternoons at Manchester’s Restaurant, enjoying a cold beer and time with the other “regulars” at the bar.

In addition to his parents, Ski was predeceased by his brothers, Raymond, and Leonard; his sisters, Dorothy, and Eleanor; and his son-in-law, Michael Lange.

He is survived by his loving wife, Inge; daughters, Denise Lange, and Heidi (John) Hight; grandchildren, Beck, Ainsley, Cameron, and Kyle; niece, Cathy (Larry) Cwojak; and nephew, Rob (Betty) Stachewicz.

Ski often reminded his family that his passing should not be a somber occasion. True to his spirited nature and in keeping with Polish tradition, he asked that friends and family gather after the service to share pizza and beer — a celebration he fondly called his “Closing Ceremony”.

In honor of his wishes, a memorial service was held in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home on Friday, July 25th at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception at the home of John and Heidi Hight.

Since the reception was always Ski’s favorite part, all are warmly encouraged to attend and celebrate his life in the way he wanted — with good food, “good” beer, good company, and good memories.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Ski, or a message of condolence for his family, you may do so below, within 'Add a Memory'.