Joseph S. Czyzewski

Joseph S. "Red" Czyzewski, 90, passed away on June 6, 2012, losing his battle with Alzheimer's.

Born on December 21, 1921 to Marion and Magdelene Czyzewski, in the rolling hills of Barton, Ohio, Joe was one of seven children. When World War II broke out, Joe, nicknamed Red for his rusty red hair, joined the Marines. Much to his dismay, he was rejected because of flat feet. He immediately signed up with Navy were he served as a Machinists Mate on the USS Waller in the South Pacific. He married his sweetheart, Goldie Varazdinac and together they raised three children, Diana, Eugene and Gregory. Joe moved his young family to Colorado in 1954, where the drier climate alleviated difficulties caused by asthma. He enjoyed the outdoors, spending every summer fishing at his favorite fishing hole on the Frying Pan River outside of Basalt, CO. Joe and Goldie spent the rest of their lives in Lakewood, Colorado where he was employed as a diesel mechanic. They remained married until Goldie's death in 2003.

Although Joe's formal education was not extensive, he worked hard at bettering himself. While he earned a living as a diesel mechanic, he would spend his free time teaching himself electronics, repairing TVs and radios when that was the latest in high-tech electronics.

A perfectionist, he always drove himself hard to always do things better. He expected no less from the people around him. In spite of his demands for perfection, he never hesitated to help those less gifted than he. Even in his last days, when Alzheimer's had deprived him of coherent thought, he would happily pushed wheel-chair bound residents up and down the halls of the nursing home.

Joe is survived by his son Eugene and daughter Diana.

A celebration of Joe's life will be held at St. Jude Catholic Church, 9405 W Florida Ave. Lakewood, CO 80232 on June 14th at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Joseph S. 'Red' Czyzewski Fund at the Alzheimer's Association webpage.