Zofia Wanda Wianecka

Zofia was born on January 6, 1944, in Żabno nad Sanem, Poland, to Michał Sieczka and his wife Maria, of the Puka family. She grew up alongside her sisters Teresa, Barbara, Lucyna, and Urszula, in a close and loving family. Their father Michał passed away on 7 April 1959, when Zofia was fifteen and her youngest sister Urszula only five months old. He had undergone surgery for appendicitis at the hospital in Stalowa Wola. The operation itself went well, but complications set in afterward, and he was flown to Lublin for further care, where he did not survive. Their mother Maria was left to raise the five sisters on her own. As the eldest, Zofia helped care for baby Urszula, and, living in the countryside, she shared in the daily work of the land: the fields, the harvest, the gathering of crops. It was a youth of love and labour in equal measure.

She began her schooling in Żabno and completed primary school in Radomyśl nad Sanem. She went on to four years of lyceum in Tarnobżrzeg, and later earned her master’s degree in agricultural sciences in Lublin.

In 1969, Zofia and Augustyn Wianecki were married in a civil ceremony in Radomyśl nad Sanem. Their wedding rings were brought from Munich by Oleńka, the daughter of Pani Byrska, who would soon become the couple’s landlady in Katowice. Pani Byrska often spoke lovingly of her daughter Oleńka, and Zofia and Augustyn grew so fond of the name that they later gave it to their own daughter. They settled in Katowice. Their son Krzysztof was born in 1970, in Stalowa Wola, where Zofia had returned to her home region for his arrival. Their daughter Aleksandra followed in 1975, born in Katowice. For many years Zofia served as a manager at the regional agricultural bureau, a role she carried with quiet dedication while raising her family.

In August 1980, Augustyn left Poland for the United States, beginning what would become an eight-year separation. Zofia remained in Katowice with their two children, Krzysztof (then ten) and Aleksandra (just five), raising them alone while continuing her work. When martial law was declared in Poland in December 1981, Augustyn’s return became impossible, and Zofia held the family together through those difficult years. In 1986 she was finally able to visit him in America. The children had to remain behind, as the authorities would not permit whole families to travel together. In 1987, Krzysztof and Aleksandra were allowed their own first trip to see their father.

In 1988, after eight years apart, the family received their green cards and were at last reunited in New York. They settled in Rockaway Park, and in 1990 bought the home where Zofia would live for the rest of her life. It was the house where she welcomed her grandchildren, and where she and Augustyn could at long last share the life they had begun together.

Together, Zofia and Augustyn raised their daughter Aleksandra and their son Krzysztof, who each went on to build families of their own: Aleksandra with her husband Dariusz, and Krzysztof with his wife Katarzyna. Their three children, Olivia, Victoria, and Adam, were Zofia’s greatest joy as a grandmother.

Zofia had a deep love for growing things. In Katowice she tended a beloved allotment garden, her own small piece of heaven on earth, alive with flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She carried that joy with her to America, where she kept a little garden beside her Rockaway home, overflowing with beautiful flowers, fruits, and fresh vegetables. Her gardens, wherever she was, were a quiet source of pride and joy throughout her years.

In late March 2026, Zofia was diagnosed with an aggressive, advanced-stage neuroendocrine cancer. Though her time with it was brief, she faced each day with the same grace and dignity that had guided her throughout her life. Comforted by the unwavering love of her husband Augustyn, her daughter Aleksandra, and her son Krzysztof, she remained the heart of her family until her final moments at her home on Rockaway.

She will be remembered not for how her life ended, but for the warmth, kindness, and love she gave so generously throughout it.