Edwin “Red” was born in New Bedford to Theodore and Genevieve (Kierklewski) Popielnicki on September 19, 1928. He married Marion F. Smith on June 19, 1950, raised three children and celebrated seventy-one years of marriage prior to Marion’s passing in 2021.
Edwin was a member of the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division and served in Japan as a “field” radio/Morse code communications operator in the “Army of Occupation”, 1946 through 1947. After his military service, Edwin and his father Theodore owned and operated a gas station/full-service automotive garage (Teddy’s Texaco) in New Bedford, MA. Throughout his life Edwin’s passions were fishing, hunting and vegetable gardening. During his retirement years he was either on a boat, or fishing the rock-strewn banks of the Cape Cod Canal, always accompanied by his loving wife Marion.
Edwin is survived by his daughter Elaine Ellms and her husband Scott Ellms of New Bedford, daughter Jo-Ann Blanchette and her husband Ron Blanchette of Chester, NH, and son Ted Popielnicki and his wife Ana Popielnicki of Pocasset; grandsons: Philip Skypeck and his wife Erin Murphy of N. Smithfield, RI, Daniel Skypeck and his wife Lily of Cumberland, RI, Andrew Skypeck of New Bedford, Christopher Blanchette and his wife Rebecca of Amesbury, Daniel Tavárez-Feliu and his wife Ilaria of Pocasset, and Gabriel Tavárez-Feliu and his partner Kristie Handrinos of Pocasset. Edwin also leaves behind four great-grandchildren.
Edwin’s celebration of life will be held on September 30, 2022 at 10:30 AM at the Seamen’s Bethel, 15 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740 (VISIT – The New Bedford Port Society (seamensbethel.org)). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Buzzard’s Bay Coalition, in memory of Edwin J. Popielnicki.
https://www.savebuzzardsbay.org/take-action/donate/donate-now
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