Tadeusz "Ted" J. Filipiak

Tadeusz J. Filipiak passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 4. 2020 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow. He was born in Grabowa, Poland on December 1, 1925 and lived there till the age of 13. When Poland was invaded, he was taken to Germany to work on a farm. He remained there until being liberated by the American forces. Upon liberation he became part of the Joint Occupation Force under the auspices of the United States Army until his discharge in 1949. Shortly thereafter he was given the opportunity of passage to the United States and eventually settled in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was there that he met Adele J. Lemanski in 1952, our mom and his wife until her death in 2013. Ted as he was better known, along with others of his generation were shaped by the hardships of their time. He was proud of his past, proud of this country and proud to believe in the American dream. He worked hard all his life overcoming many obstacles as he provided for his family. He spent most of his adult life as a self-employed painter and wallpaper hanger. To this day we often hear when a customer’s  wallpaper is being removed, one will still find his signature written on the wall. He was fond of signing his work.

He is survived by his daughter Mary Stefano and husband Bob of Westfield, his son Ted Filipiak and wife Sue of Southwick, stepson James Hyder and Patricia Tessier of Wilbraham, granddaughter Merideth Stefano of Westfield, and James Hyder and his wife Kerry of Washington State. He also leaves four grandchildren Harrison, Lauren, Amanda and Nathan.

The family would like to thank the staff of caregivers at the Jewish Nursing Home of Western Mass. New  York Unit, for the loving attention they showed our father during his final days of life. No words can ever adequately express the compassionate care this team provided.

 Funeral service will be private for Ted, please visit www.westfieldfuneralhome.com for Ted’s tribute page.

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