Jozef Brzoza

He was a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and a kind and generous soul. He had an undeniable love of life, adventure and challenges. He was exceptionally creative, able to take something simple and turn it into something extraordinary. Most of all though, he was a man with a heart of gold who always selflessly put everyone he cared for ahead of himself.

He was born in Maslow, a beautiful village in the Polish Swietokrzyskie Mountains, as one of five siblings. From early childhood he was very inventive, making toys, cars and skis out of wood and other materials. He had a passion for nature, knowing the names of all the trees and birds living in the forest behind his childhood house and recognizing and picking mushrooms. Joe loved planting seeds and growing trees from clippings in pots throughout his entire life.

As a young man he pursued his passion for cars and became an auto mechanic. While completing his military service as general’s driver, Joe met the love of his life, Czesia. They married in 1957 and stayed together for 66 years caring for each other until his death. Together they lived in Krakow where their only daughter Elizabeth (Ela) was born. Joe was the best father a daughter could ask for, always finding time to spend with Ela, making sure they enjoyed many family vacations, and supporting all her endeavours throughout her life. He even built a Fiat 126 from the ground up for her when she started university. His gentle spirit and caring way amassed him many friends in Poland. Everyone liked Joe, he was a generous friend with a calm demeanour, and kind eyes to match the friendly smile he always had upon his face. He never had an enemy in his life and was always pleasant and warm hearted. Joe, while humble, was always very skilled. He could build a car from scratch, design and construct a house - nearly single handedly, or cook, bake and help Czesia with household chores, Joe could do it all.

After his daughter immigrated to Canada, Joe and Czesia decided to join her and their granddaughters. Despite older age, Joe assimilated in the new country and appreciated life and new friends in Canada. His focus was to support his family. He knew how to fix anything with materials at hand. He completed multiple renovations, house upgrades, landscaping, constructed a treehouse and hurdles for his grandkids, built 40 birdhouses for his great-grandsons, planted multiple trees and much more. He drove his grandkids to school and for activities and even taught them eventually to drive themselves. He always had a joke to share with his grandkids or would let them climb up his knees to do somersaults or play with them in the backyard or take them for long walks in nature. He watched over every single person in the family. Helping others was the mission of his life, always with a smile on his face, never ever complaining, always humble. Even when his memory was failing him, he never forgot to say thank you or ask you how you were feeling. We were blessed to have this special man in our lives. We will cherish good memories, times spent together, long walks, family ceremonies and hugs. In our hearts we know that Joe, for all the love he has shared with us and the way he selflessly cared for us all, will surely have a special place in heaven.

Joe is survived by his wife Czesia, daughter Elizabeth Stacey (Norm), granddaughter Sylvia Fischbuck (Matthew), granddaughter Julia Tomkiewicz, great-grandchildren Katya, Will and Luke, and numerous family in Poland.

We are very grateful to Joe’s caregiver Alona who looked after Joe with exceptional compassion, respect and dignity.

A private family service will be held.