Obituary for Tadeusz "Teddy" Chojnacki
Tadeusz Franciszek Chojnacki
February 23, 1946 - May 31, 2022
Tadeusz Chojnacki, affectionately known as Teddy bear, beloved husband of Renata Chojnacki of Calgary, passed away at his home on the morning of Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the age of 76.
Teddy was the loving father of Adam Chojnacki of Edmonton and Andrew Chojnacki (and his wife, Josée Wong) of Calgary. He will also be lovingly remembered by his grandchildren, Ludovik and Kaitreanne; his brother, Kazimierz; and sister, Grazyna. He was predeceased by his father, Szczepan; mother, Czeslawa; and brothers, Mieczyslaw and Zygmunt.
A typical Polish name, Tadeusz originates for Thaddai from the Aramaic word for heart. Let’s take a moment to understand the kind of heart you had. You were born just after the end of the second world war, in a country devastated by that war, Poland. Life for you was far from easy. As a child you worked hard, whether it was helping your Dad by watering the tobacco plants or picking the mint leaves all while going to school. It’s clear that working hard was something that you learned very early on, and you took it to heart. Rarely taking a sick day at work, you also worked hard at home, repairing the car, renovating the house, tending to the garden, or smoking meats and making sausage. Very seldom were you idle, you were always working to reach your goals. You were a heart of determination and perseverance. You were also a brave heart.
You had a beautiful house and a good job as a supervisor in an underground mine in Poland. But you saw the crackdown from the communist regime coming down on the Solidarity movement, and you knew things were going to get worse. Less than a month after arriving in Canada with your family, tanks entered Polish towns. Being close to 40, you put family above all other things, and you left everything behind to learn a new language and start all over again, in the hopes of forging a better future for your kids. You had a lot on the go, yet; you were never too busy to lend a hand. Whether it was helping to take care of your ailing mother-in-law back in Poland or taking care of your grandkids in Canada, or whether it was helping to move your kids from one city to another, sometimes on your own and sometimes whilst battling the flu and sometimes thanklessly.
You gave of yourself with a smile; you were a heart of generosity. And you never, never complained about anything. You helped build a heavy stone walkway and move a shed down a hill to a pad that you dug out by yourself, all while walking on a hip that should have been replaced five years earlier. There really wasn’t much of a hip to replace once the orthopaedic surgeon saw you. You were a stoic heart. A day before time took you, you caressed the cheek of your wife with your hand and a tissue, comforting her even though it was you that was suffering. You were a compassionate and feeling heart. All these aspects of your heart were bound together by the love within it for your family. You were a loving heart. And so, anyone can see that you were far better than a heart forged of gold, a metal that is shiny, but cold, unfeeling, and unloving.
They say not to judge a man until you have walked a mile in their shoes, but the shoes themselves can speak to the character of a man. Indeed, in tidying up some of your things after your passing, a pair of old shoes brought you quickly to mind far better than a heart of gold ever would. The shoes were an ordinary pair of black runners (ones that were bought for you because you refused to buy yourself anything new so there would be more leftover for your grandkids). From the top they didn’t look too bad, a few scuffs, but nothing they or you would complain about. The sole of the shoes was a stark contrast, there was barely any tread left, and in fact the wear was so bad the soft cushiony part of the sole was starting to show. But isn’t that just so you, working ‘till the very end for the love of your family without a single complaint.
Tadeusz, our heart, you may have had a typical Polish name, but you were an exemplar of the extraordinary. You are loved, you will be missed, and you will forever be in our hearts.
A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022 at 10:30 am at Our Lady Queen of Peace Polish Roman Catholic Church (2111 Uxbridge Drive NW, Calgary, AB).
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Teddy, please visit www.choicememorial.com
February 23, 1946 - May 31, 2022
Tadeusz Chojnacki, affectionately known as Teddy bear, beloved husband of Renata Chojnacki of Calgary, passed away at his home on the morning of Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the age of 76.
Teddy was the loving father of Adam Chojnacki of Edmonton and Andrew Chojnacki (and his wife, Josée Wong) of Calgary. He will also be lovingly remembered by his grandchildren, Ludovik and Kaitreanne; his brother, Kazimierz; and sister, Grazyna. He was predeceased by his father, Szczepan; mother, Czeslawa; and brothers, Mieczyslaw and Zygmunt.
A typical Polish name, Tadeusz originates for Thaddai from the Aramaic word for heart. Let’s take a moment to understand the kind of heart you had. You were born just after the end of the second world war, in a country devastated by that war, Poland. Life for you was far from easy. As a child you worked hard, whether it was helping your Dad by watering the tobacco plants or picking the mint leaves all while going to school. It’s clear that working hard was something that you learned very early on, and you took it to heart. Rarely taking a sick day at work, you also worked hard at home, repairing the car, renovating the house, tending to the garden, or smoking meats and making sausage. Very seldom were you idle, you were always working to reach your goals. You were a heart of determination and perseverance. You were also a brave heart.
You had a beautiful house and a good job as a supervisor in an underground mine in Poland. But you saw the crackdown from the communist regime coming down on the Solidarity movement, and you knew things were going to get worse. Less than a month after arriving in Canada with your family, tanks entered Polish towns. Being close to 40, you put family above all other things, and you left everything behind to learn a new language and start all over again, in the hopes of forging a better future for your kids. You had a lot on the go, yet; you were never too busy to lend a hand. Whether it was helping to take care of your ailing mother-in-law back in Poland or taking care of your grandkids in Canada, or whether it was helping to move your kids from one city to another, sometimes on your own and sometimes whilst battling the flu and sometimes thanklessly.
You gave of yourself with a smile; you were a heart of generosity. And you never, never complained about anything. You helped build a heavy stone walkway and move a shed down a hill to a pad that you dug out by yourself, all while walking on a hip that should have been replaced five years earlier. There really wasn’t much of a hip to replace once the orthopaedic surgeon saw you. You were a stoic heart. A day before time took you, you caressed the cheek of your wife with your hand and a tissue, comforting her even though it was you that was suffering. You were a compassionate and feeling heart. All these aspects of your heart were bound together by the love within it for your family. You were a loving heart. And so, anyone can see that you were far better than a heart forged of gold, a metal that is shiny, but cold, unfeeling, and unloving.
They say not to judge a man until you have walked a mile in their shoes, but the shoes themselves can speak to the character of a man. Indeed, in tidying up some of your things after your passing, a pair of old shoes brought you quickly to mind far better than a heart of gold ever would. The shoes were an ordinary pair of black runners (ones that were bought for you because you refused to buy yourself anything new so there would be more leftover for your grandkids). From the top they didn’t look too bad, a few scuffs, but nothing they or you would complain about. The sole of the shoes was a stark contrast, there was barely any tread left, and in fact the wear was so bad the soft cushiony part of the sole was starting to show. But isn’t that just so you, working ‘till the very end for the love of your family without a single complaint.
Tadeusz, our heart, you may have had a typical Polish name, but you were an exemplar of the extraordinary. You are loved, you will be missed, and you will forever be in our hearts.
A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022 at 10:30 am at Our Lady Queen of Peace Polish Roman Catholic Church (2111 Uxbridge Drive NW, Calgary, AB).
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Teddy, please visit www.choicememorial.com