Joseph Chester Rozewski

Joseph Chester Rozewski, a loving and selfless husband, father of four children, grandfather of 13 and great-grandfather of 22 grandchildren, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on May 1, 2019 at the age of 88.

Joseph, known to everyone as “Joe”, was born on January 23, 1931 in Hamtramck, MI to Chester and Bernice (Kobak) Rozewski. Joe grew up to join the Air Force and was assigned to Furstenfeldbruck Air Force Base near Munich, Germany. There he met the love of his life, Maria Markl, whom he married in Germany on June 4, 1954. They were happily married for 64 years. They raised two daughters, Diane and Constance and two sons, Joseph ( Joe, junior). and Bryan.

Joe was a quiet and thoughtful man who was quick to smile and laugh. The kind of laugh that immediately made you feel that he enjoyed your company. Joe and his family left Hamtramck in 1960 and drove across the country. They followed snowplows westward on historic Route 66, arriving in Orange County, California with everything they owned and no job offer. Joe worked hard, holding two jobs and attending trade school, until eventually being hired by Hughes Aircraft as a draftsman. At Hughes he designed electrical and communication connectors for commercial aircraft, military and aerospace industries. His prematurely grey hair earned him the nickname “Silver Fox” fondly given by his coworkers, which of course, made him laugh. He retired from Hughes in 1991 as a Senior Engineer Designer.

Joe and Maria’s love for each other never dimmed. It grew into a relationship that left an impression on everyone who met them. Seeing them together was universally and adoringly, described as “cute”. Joe lived selflessly to provide for his family and give them a better life. He held himself to a very high standard with everything he did. For Joe, it was in the details. He was a natural craftsman, mechanic and gardener and spent many happy hours working on the family home and garden with his wife and children. To this day their home is meticulously landscaped with a variety of plants and flowers. Visitors are treated to pleasing scents of lavender and roses. The oranges and lemons are so plentiful, Joe and Maria enjoy sharing them with their friends and neighbors. Joe was an avid bowler and has bragging rights to achieving a “perfect game” however, he was humble and you would never know unless you asked. He introduced his family to archery and was heavily involved in the Phoenix German Club Archery Group. Joe loved to take his children fishing. When his children insisted on taking their catch home alive with hopes of nursing them back to health, Joe supported them even though he knew they would ultimately end up in his garden, feeding his beautiful roses. Among his many virtues, Joe was a sensitive, caring person and a very gentle man.

Joe is survived and will be profoundly missed by his wife Maria, his four children, Diane, Connie, Joe Jr., and Bryan and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A service will be held at Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary, 1702 Fairhaven Ave, Santa Ana, CA, 92705 On Sunday, May 5th , 2019 at 1 o’clock p.m.