Obituary of GEORGE ROMANOWSKI
GEORGE ROMANOWSKI
With great sadness we announce the passing of our father, George Romanowski,
on January 22, 2020.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 250 Burrin Avenue at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 27. Viewing at 10:30 a.m. with reception immediately to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation.
My Personal History of Daddy G.’s Life
EARLY LIFE AND ARMY
by Ron Romanowski, son
George was born in Oleszewicze Poland (now Belarus) in 1924.
Dad spent his early life on the farm with his family in the bucolic activities inherent in the seasonal life of a farm.
One of Dad’s stories was that he and the whole family were going to the town and as they were leaving Dad’s dad dropped the keys by accident. But wouldn’t you know it. Their farm dog found the keys and caught up with their horse-drawn wagon, and they got their keys back. Of course, they had to take the dog along then. And in the town the dog was just wide-eyed looking around. He had never seen so many people all at once before.
In September 1939 Dad’s life changed forever with the start of World War II. The Soviet Army, in their pact with Nazi Germany, invaded Dad’s part of Poland and took him prisoner. With them he learned the automobile mechanics trade. (Years later Dad would generously say somehow maybe he should be thankful he learned that trade which helped him earn a living the rest of his life.)
Later when the Soviets switched sides and joined the Allied Forces, including Great Britain, Dad marched from Siberia with 100,000 other Poles who had been freed to join the British Forces in Egypt. They journeyed from Siberia, where the Soviets had held them, through Asia and Persia and into Egypt
to join the Polish Corps of the British Army. They trained to invade and free Italy from Fascist and Nazi occupation.
Dad fought with the Polish Corps up the boot of Italy. Their most famous battle was that of Monte Cassino where the Polish Army finally got to revenge Hitler’s Fascist invasion of Poland by taking a large part in the defeat of the German Army holding out at the famous monastery. Dad was wounded twice in battle during the Italian campaign, once as a motorcycle messenger.
After the War the Soviets did not want the Polish Army to come back to Poland so that they could complete their takeover of Poland into communism with as little opposition as possible.
Dad arrived in Canada November 11, 1946 when offered sanctuary here. He soon fell in love with Canada.
He came to Winnipeg and lived here for seventy-three years. And we love him and miss him and treasure all
the stories of his life, and there are so many in his ten decades of life.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of GEORGE
ROMANOWSKI Wednesday January 22 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba