Stanley Holewinski

Nobody looking at Stanley Holewinski would know he was 98 years old. Until just a few years ago, Stan could be found hoeing and weeding a vibrant vegetable garden in his backyard on Jackson Avenue, where he lived with his wife Régine since 1954. He was known to fix anything with a simple wrench and duct tape. Most afternoons, Stan would find his way to the green lawn chair in front of his garage—the best place to feel the sun. On April 1st, Stan died peacefully of natural causes at Robert Wood Johnson hospital in Somerset. His life tells the story of nearly a century of the American small town. Stanley Sylvester Holewinski was born in 1924 in Pulaski, Wisconsin, to a family of dairy farmers. The farm was lost during the Depression, just before Stan became an infantryman in the US Army and shipped off to Europe for the Second World War. Stan served in General Patton’s 3rd Army as an anti-aircraft gunner and survived the Battle of the Bulge. After liberation, stationed in Moyeuvre, France, he asked a beautiful local woman working on the base, Régine Florzek, to dance. It was the beginning of a 78-year marriage. Coming back to America, Stan bought a house in the new neighborhood near Johns-Manville factory, where he worked as a machinist for the next 30 years. In that house, Stan and Regine raised three children, their beloved cat Mopsy, and the vegetables from the garden. A piece of his heart remained in Wisconsin, especially each Sunday in autumn when his Green Bay Packers played. He also loved baseball and coached for the Pony League Red Sox in Manville. The family attended Christ the King Catholic Church. In their later years, Stan and Régine listened to polkas and Yves Montand over dinner, and walked the paths of Colonial Park to literally smell the roses. Stan will be missed by his wife Régine; his children Stanley (deceased), Bob (spouse Deb), and Mic (spouse Aaron); his grandchildren Sarah (spouse Josh) and Rebecca (spouse John); and his great-grandchildren, who delighted him to no end, Logan (15) and Lilah (5). The visitation will be on Thursday, April 13, 2023 from 8:30 to 9:30 AM at the Ketusky Funeral Home, 1310 Brooks Blvd., P.O. Box 747, Manville, NJ 08835. Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Hillsborough, NJ with a Graveside Service and Military Honors.

Tributes

Stanley Holewinski

November 9, 1924 - April 1, 2023