Stanley Joseph Kijewski

Stanley Joseph Kijewski

July 4, 1937 – October 27, 2022

Stanley Joseph Kijewski, 85, passed away on Thursday, October 27, 2022, in Minneapolis, MN. His loving daughter, Lori, was by his side. 

Stan,  or “Stache,” (a common Polish diminutive for the name Stanislaus, a cognate of the English name Stanley) was born and raised in Philadelphia, the fourth child—and second son—of Julian and Beatrice (“Stella”) Kijewski, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Polish-American family lived in a West Philadelphia neighborhood on Brown Street, near the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Stan attended Catholic grammar school along with his two brothers and three sisters, followed by West Catholic Boys High School, whence he graduated in 1955.

Stan met Agnes “Pat” Wesolowski (also of Philadelphia) at a dance in 1956. They married in 1958 and soon started a family. Stan worked around the clock as a father, student, and cab driver as he put himself through school. He graduated from Drexel University in 1965 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. As their family grew, the couple relocated to the Philadelphia suburbs—first to Bucks County and, later, to Chester County. They remained in the greater Philadelphia area until 2017, when they relocated to Arizona to be closer to their second son, John, and daughter-in-law, Linda. As Pat and Stan’s health declined, they moved to Minnesota—known for its top-notch healthcare—where their first daughter, Lori (and later, their firstborn son, Tom), lived. 

Stan devoted his life to supporting his family. Lightning fast with “simple” math calculations and a sense of humor, his intellect and charisma not only enabled him to make friends easily, but also propelled his long and successful career. After working at RCA, he landed his first “big break” at software giant IBM, where he spent nearly two decades before taking on new professional challenges in the utilities industry. His work in information technology—from sales to leadership positions to consulting engagements with the World Bank—took him all over the world, from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan, to Hungary, India, Croatia and Macedonia.

Stan’s work enabled him to provide his family with experiences he never had while growing up. Many of these revolved around travel, cultural events (particularly those celebrating Stan and Pat’s Polish heritage), music and food. His love of global cuisines—particularly Chinese, Indian, Mexican and, of course, the Polish fare of his youth—was the perfect complement to Pat’s love of cooking. The family enjoying trying new restaurants, although Stan’s impatience for inattentive servers, backed-up kitchens or cold food was the stuff of legend that would make a Top Chef judge proud. It was a sort of assertiveness training for his young children, who sought shelter under the table or behind a menu. “Dad, you’re embarrassing us,” we’d say. “When you’re the one paying the check, you’ll see,” he’d reply. 

He and Pat bravely led their young “waddling duck family” on several memorable road trips within the United States, including a 23-day journey across the country in the summer of 1975. Combining one of Stan’s business trips with a family vacation, they visited White Sands National Monument and Yellowstone National Park as they traversed 18 states. In the summer of 1977, Stan rented an RV to take the family on a tour of the Great Smoky Mountains. That adventure resulted in the loss of the RV’s  step, awning, Stan’s rental deposit and interest in future RV travel. 

Stan brought Pat on many of his overseas trips, visiting cities in England, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, and (perhaps most significantly, because of his family’s heritage) Poland. While they enjoyed experiencing different countries and cultures, Stan and Pat consistently sought opportunities to travel to or with family, with Stan arranging family get-togethers in Arizona and California, as well as family cruises touring Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Mexico.

While Stan’s work fueled his sense of adventure and accomplishment, he derived joy from simple pleasures—the Sunday paper, a glass of wine, classical music, bridge, crossword puzzles and cryptograms, borderline obsessive lawn care (a ritual that concluded with a cold beer, a cigar and a hearty laugh with a neighbor), and TV shows such as Jeopardy, The World at War, Seinfeld, and Downton Abbey. In recent years, however, his favorite activity was simply being with his family. He loved spending time with his children—whether over the phone, a meal, or a Philadelphia Eagles game. He cherished time spent with his sisters and brothers-in-law; at every opportunity, he and Pat would meet up with family at a designated Maryland restaurant, where they’d spend entire afternoons disrupting other diners’ meals with the sound of their raucous laughter. “Sometimes, life is good,” he’d say.

Although he appreciated nice things, Stan rarely splurged on himself. He was in his 60s before he treated himself to a nice car. The one-time cabbie was a skilled driver in his day. While his day lasted, that is. He habitually glared at other drivers as he passed them, a practice denounced by each of his children, who swore they would never imitate it (until they did). As Stan’s driving began to more closely resemble “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” than a relaxing Sunday drive, he would happily offer one of his visiting children to take the wheel—under the guise of letting them experience the “ultimate driving machine.”

A long-suffering Philadelphia Eagles fan, Stan was pleased to have lived long enough to see the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl. When the Eagles had last won a championship, in 1960, the 23-year-old Stan was in attendance at the game played at Franklin Field. He had also attended the Eagles’ first championship game at Shibe Park as an 11-year-old boy. Stan was also one of the early Flyers hockey fans, and took his son Ted to the Stanley Cup championship in 1975.

A man of faith (“Vatican II was a good thing; better than Vatican I.”), Stan regularly attended Mass and supported a variety of Catholic charities, often requesting prayers for his grown children for whatever challenges they were facing. 

Over the past 10 years, Stan had found great purpose, companionship, and joy in the adoption (one intentional and one unintentional) of two rescue dogs. After years of begrudgingly tolerating the family’s various pets—including reptiles, cats, dogs and horses—Stan found a best friend of his own in his grand-dog, Ruby, who adopted him once a dog-sitting gig (intended to be temporary) became permanent at her request. For the next four years, Stan and Ruby were celebrities in their gated community. “She’s a Ruby dog!” he would say excitedly when neighbors asked what type of dog she was. After Ruby’s passing, Stan went on to adopt Rusty, giving this lucky dog the chance to live his best life when no one else stepped up to the challenge. From walks in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, to the Arizona desert, to the western suburbs of Minneapolis, the two were inseparable. “Somehow—some way—we made it!” Stan would often say at the end of one of their walks.

Stan is survived by his five adoring children, Thomas, John (Linda), Ted (Michéle), Lori Griffey (Beau), and Lisa Vollmer; two grandchildren, Michael (Nadelle) and Christina; two great-grandchildren, Holden and Emerson; brothers, Mark and Joseph; three sisters-in-law, and many loving nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife, Agnes (“Pat”); his parents and by his sisters, Beatrice Tracey, Mary Luscko, and Lillian Gill—each of whom he loved and missed dearly. 

While his family feels an immeasurable loss in Stan’s passing, they are reassured by scripture that “in death life is changed, not ended,” and they find great comfort knowing that he is now at peace and reunited with Pat—and other family and friends—in the presence of the Lord. 

Stan’s memorial service will be held on Friday, December 2, 2022, at 11:00 AM at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, 630 E. Wayzata Boulevard, Wayzata, MN, 55391, with visitation one hour prior. Internment following at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Last Chance Ranch Animal Rescue at www.lastchanceranch.org.

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