Zdzislaw "John" Szewczyk

November 24, 1930 - November 28, 2020

Zdzislaw “John” Szewczyk passed gently from this earthly life on Saturday November 28, 2020, at the age of 90. He was born March 24, 1930, in Topiłòwka, Poland between the two World Wars. When the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland at the onset of the second war, his family was deported by cattle car to Siberia. The family struggled for the next nine years as they trekked from Siberia through the middle east and finally on to England and the United States. John entered the Polish Army in exile as a cadet, listing his age as 16 in order to qualify, though in reality he was just shy of his twelfth birthday. In Egypt, he eventually transferred to the Royal Air Force and was honorably discharged at the young age of eighteen. In the United States, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Wayne State University, gained American citizenship, and enjoyed the comforts and security of the American dream that so many immigrants longed for. He met Anna, another Polish immigrant, in Detroit in the early sixties. They were married and raised two daughters, Maria and Barbara, in a loving and happy home. They were eventually graced with six grandchildren and even two great-grandchildren. They retired to Sarasota and lived quietly and happily. John was a quiet man, and the epitome of a gentleman. He was extremely kind and generous, always picking up the tab, always thinking of other’s needs, and rarely expressing his own preferences. His family and friends will miss his sweet smile, his wry sense of humor, and his steadfast love. ‘Til we meet again…