Jerzy Piatek

Jerzy Wladyslaw Piatek passed away peacefully on June 19, 2026 at the amazing age of 96. He was born on March 4, 1930 to Wiktor Piatek and Wladyslawa Kufel Piatek in Poznan, Poland.

Jerzy lived a charmed life full of adventures and stories that were often almost unbelievable and yet mesmerizingly, absolutely true. As a young boy of 9, World War Two saw his family’s life, who were living in Poznan, Poland, (one of the first cities occupied by the Nazis), turned upside down. The awful events of that time, from such a young boy’s perspective, shaped his survival instinct and life moto; He was an avid advocate of the phrase “Keep Moving Forward and Always Think Ahead!” and lived his life doing so,physically and metaphorically, no matter the circumstances.

When he became an adult, after a required stint in the Polish Army during the tenuous peacetime of Soviet Union communist rule, (where he was required to peel so many potatoes that it became a masterful skill of histo peel as thinly as possible!), he worked in government circles, married and had a daughter, Jola in 1956. Though he found himself in different careers throughout his life, he felt none more fulfilling and entertaining than in the Polish Estrada, or entertainment industry. As a promoter and organizer of many charity concerts and events, he managed some of what were considered the biggest Polish singers, comedians and stars of the time. He divorced during these years and then, within this gifted group of artists, he recruited a young singer named Malgorzata Borowska for his next concert series. This working relationship quickly turned into the romance of a lifetime. They married on March 30, 1974 and their daughter Anna was born in 1976. When an opportunityfor Malgorzata to perform in Polish Clubs in the US emerged in 1980, Jerzy, then 50, traveled to America with their daughter in support of his wife. The plan was to return to their native Polska after 6 months. But when once again strife in Poland occurred, in the form of the Solidrnosc Movement, boarders were closed and they could not return home. Jerzy took whatever jobs necessary to help support his family, never once complaining about the struggle of “starting over”. He later became employed at the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, retiring at the age of 82 after 22 years of service to the Polish community as an information officer for the bank.

He loved to swim, and had a knack for being able to float perfectly still for what seemed like hours! He loved long walks anywhere but especially along the beach and often spoke of his youth swimming and walking at the Baltic Sea. He missed his beloved city Poznan and was able to proudly show and share this beautiful city with his grandchildren in recent years.He touched many people’s lives throughout his own life. He was always incredibly youthful and strong, rarely ill, to the point that most people could not believe his actual age. Jerzy was a world-class gentleman, with impeccable manners and always kissed a ladies’ hand in greeting, much to the blushing delight of many. Those who had the privilege of meeting him were left charmed by his personality, self-depricating humor and furvor for life.

Jerzy was the last of the four Piatek siblings to pass into eternal rest, pre-deceased by his sisters Maria and Barbara and his brother Henryk.

He is survived by Malgorzata, with whom he shared 52 sometimes crazy yet joyous years of marriage, his two daughters Jolanta Gorecka and Anna Piatek, his beloved grandchildren Hanna, Michal, Alexander and Vivienne, his sweet great-grandchildren Natalia, Pawel and Rafal and a cherished, loving extended family comprised of friends and loved ones in Poland, the U.S. and across the globe.

At his request, he will be cremated and no formal service will be held. He vehemently opposed tradition concerning death and was outspoken in his wishes to “keep it simple” and to celebrate Life, not death. A private celebration of his life will be held in his honorat a later date. He often spoke of how unfair it was for any innocent child to have to deal with cancer and other childhood illnesses, so In lieu of the traditional forms of condolences, kindly donate to St. Judes Children Hospital, or CHOP in his name.