Stanley Michael Czolowski

Stanley Michael Czolowski

If you watched the smirk grow upon his face, as the twinkle in his eyes brighten, you were privileged a glimpse into the vast galaxies of his mind, his everlasting soul fueled by convictions, and energized by his formidable will to fight for a larger purpose; yet, softly balanced with his loving, but very mischievous sense of humor.

The dynamic power of body, mind, and spirit, so vast does not enter rest easily. Befittingly, the universe itself will lay to rest this exceptional man, during this total solar eclipse, and into his righteous place in eternity.

Stan did not grow this strength from a life of ease; yet with steadfast supportive pillars from the Polish-Ukranian immigrant community, St Hyacinth’s, the local priesthood and the neighboring families surrounding the Rock Avenue block. His family home was built in 1909 by his paternal Grandparents. Kostanty/Kostantin and Rose/Rozalia (Sciera) Czolowski and homed four generations. Their youngest son, John S. Czolowski, staying at home to not only care for them but later become his nephew Stanley’s adoptive parent, was Stanley’s lifelong example of duty and sacrifice. They formed a bond which was always respected and honored.

Born December 26th, 1946, by the time little “Butchie” was 8 years old, he had lost his two parents, both beloved grandparents, two twin baby sisters, and was separated from his two younger brothers Raymond and Michael into an abusive and isolating foster care system which placed him into at least 13 various foster families, in addition to the Cayuga Home for Children. A system which his continuously dedicated, Uncle John, fought in court for 10 years before succeeding in the legalized adoption. During this time, Father Eric and priests from the local seminary on South Street recognized Stanley’s many attributes, tenacity, and hard work. They aided John in looking after young Stanley despite his ever-changing addresses and changing circumstances. The Priests also employed Stanley throughout the community which later also assisted in the care of his two younger brothers, once finally reunited. Uncle Phil White also moved into the Rock Ave home to help John raise the three boys. Unfortunately, many traumatic deaths fell upon each of the Czolowski generations and young Stanley was traumatically pre-deceased by his Uncle Phil White and by his younger brother Michael Czolowski

in April 1978. A hidden pain which never healed but was soften by community involvement throughout Stanley’s lifetime.

In 1964 Stanley graduated from Mount Carmel High School; accordion lessons, the Polish Falcons juniors club, the youth of St. Hyacinths church and had held many jobs and hobbies by the young age. He had given up continuing as a football star to care for his 2 younger brothers. He never gave up shooting. Like his ancestors and offspring, he became a gun expert and even the Rifle Club coach in 1965. Thanks to a local dentist who offered Stan a scholarship, he earned a Business Degree from the then Auburn Community College. Maybe he decided to put behind the years of street racing? He had married the woman he met this way in 1968. A city boy who married a village girl and they moved away to a big city; returning a few years later to build his castle in her native Hamlet, surrounded by woods and fields.

He loved all of nature. Spent his youth trapping, fishing, hunting, cooking, and mounting everything from muskrats to deer. He had an infinity for connecting to animals, and special needs children his whole life. His love of all dogs was coupled by the instant obedience they had shown to him upon meeting. If only humans had done the same... He continued to miss and ask for his 4 grand-dogs until his last words on this earth. He studied the ducks, geese, eagles especially, but all birds, as they flew above the trees. He often said they would come and lead him home. In his last years, he watched them peacefully feed on his patio and yard.

He had built his house with his own hands. Every home repair and update too. In preparation for the task, he had taken a job with Barden Homes. This allowed him to sell himself the materials at a great discount and simultaneously earn an extra commission. He was smart like that, earning every penny with brains and braun. He built from scratch, then programmed computers. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix, electronics, furniture, appliances, electric, plumbing… eventually; if he just could find where he had stored the parts for this someday, needed. He fixed vehicles too but with less cool temper.

When he needed additional things to entertain him, he earned a real estate license, and then bought a couple fixer uppers in Skaneateles; one for each of his two children. When his children moved away, and the houses were finished; he likely became bored and so sold the houses and then went off to find other hobbies in addition to working his double shifts and studying medical and natural treatments.

He filled his home first with the sound of records spinning and later with his children’s piano, drumming, signing and dance lessons. Also, the sounds of scolding; not allowing the money paid for such activities to be wasted. He was a very strict Father like his Uncle and demanded such gifts to be respected. At 76 years old Stan trekked through a snowstorm in the early morning to climb up three shelves and retrieve his old accordion gifted to him by Uncle John as child. An aged Stanley carried it back proudly into the house, protecting it from the freezing temperatures. It has been remained safely in the living room since. For the record, it was extremely heavy and toppled over the next person trying to lift it. Quality.

Summers were planting and harvesting; vegetables, fruits, trees, and his well-recognized and gifted: Gladiolus. He and his wife were long-term members of the multiple Gladiolus groups and presented award winning arrangements throughout the state. Glads gave them a new social community and many group holidays including much loved cruises and Vegas trips. He had taken his young family on many road trips, camping, amusement parks, museums and many times to Washington, D.C. where he and his wife lived after their honeymoon to Bermuda. His son was born there and with a daughter on the way, he made the choice to return to Owasco as his first priority was not his amazing career at the Chesapeake Potomac Bell company and his side job supporting various international embassies during the 1960’s, it was that his children would have their grandparents and cousins who lived just through the fields which later bought for their sakes. He left D.C. and his globally influential community of friends, to take his family away from the chaos of the assassinations, riots, racial hatred during the 1960’s and back to the peacefulness of the Hamlet.

Stan dedicated close to 45 active years in the local volunteer Fire Department there as a life member. Stand was also “fire police” in more than one way. He was a force to be reckoned with when they spent public funds inappropriately. He had joined to truly “save lives” after his family was crushed by the loss of his mother in-law Virginia “Ginny” Greenfield, to unrecognized internal bleeding. He joined to aid his community, not for politics.

Though he did join politics both in Harrisville, Utah (living there for 8 years during his second career) and ran for local office in Owasco, his home village since 1974. Stan worked for the IRS in Ogden Utah along with his wife; after giving more than 40 years to the telephone company. He began at 18 years old as an errand boy and ended as Senior Executive Management who had spent the better part of his career programming, developing, implementing, and training other phone systems throughout the country on the newly created 911 Emergency system. He had become so critical to its success, he was often helicoptered from Syracuse, rather than waste any of his valuable time on flights.

Traveling most of the year, he sometimes brought his children to live with him in the hotels. They fondly remember playing in the elevators and lobbies of the Grand Hyatt and exploring the streets NYC while he was at work and in Boston while he ran Verizon offices there for a few years; commuting back to Upstate on weekends to be with his family. He gave his children the freedom to create themselves through experience overcoming obstacles on their own. He never tried to control his children -just fire scenes. He was a quick responder. Hearing late night fire alarms, he jumped out of his hotel bed and to lead others down four flights of stairs exiting unto the pavement and then commanding everyone outside to clear the perimeter. He blocked anyone trying to renter because the “building has not yet been cleared”. He had apparently deputized himself after seeing the young fire crew needed his support. This was just a few months back. Once a Chief always a chief.

He always wanted to protect others – even if everyone didn’t see it that way. In December 2023, he was caught on video telling off a policeman and giving him the finger for flirting with a little girl. The policeman acknowledged his size, strength, and ferocity to his partner, and they decided not to do battle with him. The policeman learned in the end to say, “Please and Thank You” if he wanted cooperation from Stan. This was the last time Stan could take action to protect others and he did so without hesitation.

For years, Stan provided 24/7 care to his wife Carol (Greenfield) Czolowski, after she suffered multiple cancers and the last three and a half years of her life having lost the ability to walk and self-mobilize, due to a collision. She passed in January 2018, after 49 years of marriage and adventures. He always remembered and appreciated the friends, neighbors, and Mount Carmel classmates who came to cheer him later that year while celebrating his 72nd birthday.

In 2019, he decided it was time for a solo trip South for the winter. He packed up the Jeep with his supplies and hit the road. Joining family in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania while making new friends in all the hotels along the way and Airbnb's in the Carolinas, Stan was always a self-sufficient and independent man ready to socialize and have some fun and food with all he met. He had a life constant with transition and travel. He hated most to sit still, needing ever changing scenery, variety of learning opportunities and new social interactions.

The trip of many generations, “Butchie” made his first European trip Fall 2019- Summer 2020 rather be trapped in US lockdowns during Covid. Off to the Netherlands, and then by road to Malopolska region of Poland where he went to

visit his Grandmother’s childhood home and live with his cousins for the winter. In the Spring, in Stan style, he moved to the Grand Sheraton in Krakow Square because he wanted room service and a “bigger view”. He had a Polish tutor as he wanted to return to his childhood fluency of Polish. He was always sad that he had forgotten all 7 childhood languages during his adulthood. He traveled the mountain regions of Zakopane to Wysowa and walked or hiked 6 miles daily. Unfortunately, due to a stroke his trip to his Grandfather’s ancestral home in the borderlands of Lviv, Ukraine, had to be postponed. He always wished to return; the second trip was scheduled for his Spring.

In the last months of his life, Stan needed protection. He could not be protected from ignorance, discrimination, false medical labels, medications and contraptions forced against his will and extreme neglect by hospitals/caretakers. Only his children seemed to understand him and bring him home as per his wishes. He did NOT HAVE DEMENTIA and although it was only proven after his premature death - he would want everyone in society to know and learn from what he suffered: keep your elderly with you, never leave them alone for a minute, especially in medical communities who wrongly label; every child with ADHD and every elderly person who thinks, acts, or communicates differently with a heart crushing, defeating disease, which is often used as a tool to take them away from their lives and family due to greed, laziness, and failing systems.

Sadly, for Stan, life indeed was a circle. His heart was pure but broken in the end because no one in his life did as much for him as he was willing to do for others. He is survived by his brother Raymond and his “two little children”; Christopher Alan of New York and Christine Marie of the Hague, Netherlands, who fought with him and for him, ‘til the end. He also leaves behind fiancé Diane Watson of Delhi, New York. He especially enjoyed visits in later years from niece Debbie Gray, and nephews Jeff Greenfield, Eric Hole, and cousin Nelson Greenfield, and brother-in-law Neal Greenfield. Popping in on cousins Betty Nash, Joey Nash, and Becca McConnell and her children was also a pleasure for him in recent years. Willy Wonka contraptions built to mow his cousin Stan’s lawn at 4:00 A.M. in the morning, disturbing the neighbors, Eric Simmons also offered immense entertainment last summer.

Stanley loved the story of Pinocchio. The little wooden boy, saved and brought to life by his Uncle Geppetto. He watched Disney every Sunday night with his young children and with his adult children as he returned to original self.

The only time he wanted to sit was to read books, mostly about war, crime, history, spies and investigations. All were very strong themes in his families’ lives throughout time and distance.

He loved biographies of fascinating people. He typically found formalities or conventions boring. Hence, though this “Celebration of Life” story may be unique – it was written to honor him - and tell the truths he always wanted people to understand, but rarely shared. He was shy in his way. He had been through a lot. He was a deeply intriguing character with many told and untold stories, like the family before him and now welcoming his arrival home again.

He asked once, “When did you start caring what other people would think?”

“That’s a stupid thing to do.”

“It’s your life. Do what YOU want.”

“Others will just read about it.”

Birth, life, death. Light, darkness, light.

Please join us in sharing in his last travel and transition.

Monday April 8th, 2024

Please say your respects and wish him well before, during and after the eclipse with combined visitation, service, procession at St. Joseph’s Mausoleum beginning at 1:00 P.M. and directly followed by a Celebration of Life dinner and party. He LOVED dancing, FOOD and especially Birthday CAKE. His 77th birthday celebration was delayed due to travel and his return home – he deserves that party now!

Flowers are adored; that’s why he spent decades giving them. Plants can be placed graveside for all to see and enjoy throughout the seasons. Birds appreciate seed that can be sprinkled around his lasting place and bring them closer to him. Balloons are festive and are made for parties. The choice is yours. The importance it is only to stay a while, reflect, appreciate, and share.

Monday April 8th, 2024. Beginning 1:00 P.M. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stanley Michael Czolowski, please visit our floral store.