LECH JOHN FULMYK

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LECH JOHN FULMYK It is with great sorrow we announce the sudden passing of a beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, on March 25, 2000 at the age of 74. Lech was predeceased by his father Michal and mother Antonina (nee Piotrowska). He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Mila, son Chris Witold and his wife Irene, his daughter Anna of Nanaimo, B.C., grandchildren Alison, Devon and Dylan, his sister Janina Lorenc of Winnipeg and nephew Chris Lorenc, niece Bozena Langtry and their respective families, sister Wanda Chyczewski of Vancouver and nephew Mark Chyczewski of Chicago, Jack Chyczewski of Los Angeles and their respective families, his brother Kazimierz and his wife Helen of London, England, and niece Helen Szczerkowska and nephew Zbigniew, Andrew, Lech, and Peter Fulmyk and their respective families also of England. Lech was born December 29, 1925 in Kupiski Stare near Lomza in Poland. At age 14 he and his family were deported by the Russian invaders to a labour camp in the Archangielsk Siberia region in the USSR. Released on amnesty in 1941 he travelled south across the Soviet - Iranian border and joined the Polish forces under British command. Vicissitudes of fortune carried him through school and a military college to the end of the Second World War, service in the Polish Resettlement Corps and a final honorary discharge from the army in January of 1947 in Surrey, England. He was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant by a special order of Commander-in-Chief General W. Anders effective January 1, 1964. Following his discharge Lech spent eight years in England and of his accomplishments there are two worthy of special notice: He successfully completed a technical school specializing in ladys handbag design, but of more importance he met there his future wife Mila Bohdanowicz. They were married in 1954, and the following year joined Lechs sister Janina and her husband Henryk Lorenc who resided in Winnipeg. From then on it was hard work: Establishing themselves and eking out a living in a new environment and culture, raising a family and for Lech to carry on the best he could the fight for freedom and independence of Poland, his beloved motherland. He knew that even though the war was over Poland was still not free - the fight must go on - only the methods had to be changed. Lech was introduced by his brother-in-law Henryk to the Polish Combatants Association Branch No. 13 (S.P.K.) in Winnipeg to carry on the fight for the independence of Poland. Through the years that followed he served S.P.K. in various capacities and in 1954, 1974 and 1975 he was president of the organization, which also served as the home base of the Royal Canadian Legion Andrew Mynarski V.C. Br. 34. His love of Polish culture, his inquiring mind, his zeal for action and his leadership abilities propelled him to not only participate in the social action of other Polish organizations including Polish Scouting (Z.H.P.) and the presidency of and an active role in the Czas newspaper, but also to initiate activities in the community whenever he perceived that the interests of Poland and Canada required it, or in order to extend a helping hand to human beings in need elsewhere in the world. Most recently he was very concerned about the catastrophic plight of the people in Mozambique. Lech loved to read and spent many of his weekends at the family cottage at the lake. He was proud of his family and their accomplishments, especially the fact that both of his children speak excellent Polish. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 31 at 10:00 a.m. in the Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church, 341 Selkirk Avenue with Rev. Fr. Antoni Degutis, O.M.I. presiding. Interment will follow in the Holy Ghost Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Ed Rolland, Henryk Kozubski, Roman Pieczonka, Lech Galezowski, Kazik Smolinski, Chris Lorenc, Mark Chyczewski and Peter Fulmyk. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lechs memory may be made to the Polish Combatants Association Branch No. 13, 1364 Main St., Winnipeg, MB R2W 3T8; or to one of three causes close to Lechs heart: The War Invalids Fund, The Fund for Poles in the East, and the Czas newspaper. WIECZNY ODPOCZYNEK RACZ MU DAC PANIE Lechs family has entrusted his arrangements to the care of: WOJCIKS FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORIUM 897 - 4665

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 29, 2000