John Philip Gajewski, Jr.

John Philip Gajewski Junior was born June 26th, 1956, in Denver, Colorado, to John Philip Gajewski Senior and Betty Hill. He was called “Johnny” by most of his relatives since his dad was called John. Growing up in Bellaire, Texas, he attended Holy Ghost Catholic School, from Kindergarten through 8th grade, where he started participating as an alter server and worked in the parish office as his first job. As a kid, his Grandmother got him into tap dancing at 4 years old, then as he was older tried baseball , and playing the drums; but what was the most impactful was learning to roller skate. He would take lessons then eventually work at the Bellaire Roller Rink and competed in speed skating. At the start of races, he was often told to start farther back to give the other racers a chance before he won every time.

He then attended Minor Seminary at Holy Redeemer College Preparatory High School in Lacombe, Louisiana. His friends have said he was interested in homilies, liturgies and retreats. Additionally, he could learn any sport: particularly handball, tennis, and soccer. He was left front on the soccer team who won the championship their Senior Year. Some witnesses claim, he had a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots’ leg that would defeat any contender who dared approach. He was also infamous for his pranks, assisted by his friends, he took bedroom doors off their hinges for the “Door Prize”, raiding kitchens for ice cream, getting souvenirs from other schools during away games, and once swapped the “Men’s” and “Women’s” bathrooms signs at an unsuspecting McDonalds.

Friends were also first to admit that he adored his father, John Senior, and always looked up to him. John Senior always smiled, and you couldn’t help but do the same when you were around him. One summer Johnny worked as an apprentice printer at Lockheed Martin/Nasa with his dad (who was a printer), imprinting a life-long core memory that would lead to him eventually becoming a printer by trade for 34 years while owning a company, Southwest Business Printers, for 22 of those years. While in high school, he took this experience and grew his passion for producing the school newspaper with an unrivaled school spirit.

As an undergraduate student at Holy Redeemer Seminary in Waterford, Wisconsin, he continued his pranks. While he emerged unscathed from some retaliations, from acts we cannot disclose, he made friends such as a few who are with us still today. He continued his seminary classes and completed his Novitiate at Immaculate Conception in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Later he would pursue his passion for serving others at Mount St. Alphonsus School of Theology Seminary in Esopus, New York. While there, he worked in deaf ministry and taught ASL to family members. He would be assigned to do vocation work across multiple parishes during his summers and following up with the guys that attended the “Come and See” events for those interested in joining the priesthood. He also spent one summer as a student chaplain in Corpus Christi which was impactful enough for him to start volunteering as a chaplain later.

After coming home to live with his grandparents in Bellaire, he continued to play tennis, roller skate and listen to boxing matches as well as Indianapolis 500 Car racing. He also continued chaplain work and later became a member of the Catholic Chaplain Corps in the archdiocese of Galveston/Houston for what would have been 20 years.

As an adult, he went on to marry Elizabeth Marie Tirone in March 1986, who gave birth to his son Justin Lawrence in May 1991. His friends would constantly say he was very proud of his son. He would accompany him on Boy Scout trips and attend every Tae-Kwon-Do test and tournament. Forever with the biggest green thumbs on the block, he carefully attended his gardens at their house in Bellaire while drinking Dr. Pepper to quench his thirst in the Houston sun. He was always spirited and often only had just a few moods: happy, overjoyed, contemplative and frustration with Houston traffic. He treated everyone like they were special and got along with anyone; always looking to lend a laugh with his tremendous energy. Even though he was always busy, he made very good use of his time by visiting and training those to visit homebound and hospitalized Catholics, in and out of the parish, to provide communion and coordinate funerals with families that were at a loss for what was next.

As for his contributions to the Holy Ghost Parish while attending school there he served as an altar boy before, during and after high school and stayed the entire Sunday morning at church to make sure every mass was covered. As an adult, he was an eucharistic minister, lector, taught RCIA classes, was in charge of the Grand Raffle then Treasure chest booths at the bazaar. He served on the liturgy, vocation, and environmental committees, and trained, like his son, eucharistic ministers, lectors and altar servers. He also volunteered for ground maintenance for the church, obtained missionaries and coordinated missions for Lent and Advent over the years as well as a quarterly Spiritual Renewal series of lectures on various topics regarding the Catholic religion and other religions bringing speakers from other churches, parishes and denominations to broaden the knowledge of parishioners at Holy Ghost.

His legacy will live on with the multitude of customers he had for over 30 years during his career as a printer and print shop owner. Also, at Holy Ghost parish as the one person who followed up with families 1 year after their loved one died. Made sure the parishioners who were homebound or in other facilities received the Eucharist. When someone wanted their loved one to receive the Eucharist or passed away and they called the parish office the office workers would relay the information to John to help them.

John Philip Gajewski died September 17th, 2025, surrounded by an abundance of family, friends and faith at M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Hospital.

A visitation will be held at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, located at 4525 Bissonnet St., Bellaire, TX 77401, on September 25, 2025, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. A Rosary will be recited at the same location on September 25, 2025, at 7:00 pm.

The Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood Dr., Houston, TX 77081, on September 26, 2025, at 10:00 am. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 3502 N Main St., Houston, TX 77009, on September 26, 2025, at 1:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation in John's Memory to Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood, Houston, TX 77081, for maintenance of the church.