U.S. Navy Veteran - served in World War II Gabriel Francis Wyzga ('Gabe') was born of first generation Polish immigrant parents in Trenton, New Jersey where he was raised as the next-to-the youngest of eleven children. He was born at home in the front parlor on November 1st, 1924, a date we know as All Saint's Day. His mother, Helen, named him after the Archangel Gabriel, the sword-bearer who stands at the left hand of God. The name 'Gabriel' means 'God is my strength.' Maybe Helen was prophetic in the name she chose for her son, but this much we know: from the beginning Gabe was touched by God. Gabe's upbringing was not an easy one, as so many know from the days of The Great Depression. He would tell us about the years a single tangerine served as his Christmas gift. Or the Christmas he received his favorite gift: a crystal radio set. He and his brothers would stand down at the train yard and throw rocks at the fellows guarding the coal as the trains rattled by. The guards would throw back chunks of coal which the boys collected in a bucket and carried home for heat. Experiences such as these influenced the raising of his family. 'We are rich, although we may not have a lot of money' is a theme that would echo over and over. Gabe served as a United States Navy radioman in World War II, mastering International Morse Code. He was known to recite the alphabet in 'dits' and 'dots.' Gabe's five brothers also served in branches of the military during WWII and Korea. All six Wyzga boys returned safely from the wars which Gabe attributed to the devoted prayers of his mother, Helen. As you can imagine given his start in the world, prayer guided Gabe all his born days. He credited a night of prayer for the post-Navy direction for his life. After the structure of military service Gabe found himself without an anchor in life. He found his next steps as a student at Valparaiso Technical Institute in Indiana. From that place he carried on a long-distance correspondence romance with the woman he met at a wedding and who would eventually become his own bride: Hedwig Genevieve Golebiewski ('Hedy'). Gabe's sister, Vera, cooked up a pretty good batch of rice pudding. Before Gabe left Trenton, NJ for Indiana he would court Hedy seated side-by-side in the back seat of his car eating his sister's rice pudding from a container she packed for the two of them After Gabe's graduation he and Hedy moved from Trenton, NJ to Westfield, NJ. Gabe became employed as a research assistant by Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ. He faithfully drove home every work day during his sixty minute lunch hour to sit and have his lunch with Hedy. When Gabe was relocated to Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ he and Hedy moved their family to Lincroft, NJ. And there they continued raising the family that would number seven children. It's difficult to write about Gabe's life without including Hedy since so much of his life was wrapped around their children, their marriage and their church community. Although it must be said that Hedy was the instigator and Gabe her most willing partner. Their involvement in St. Leo the Great parish in Lincroft, NJ spanned almost 50 years and included singing in the choir, serving as church lectors, Pre Cana ministers and Marriage Encounter leaders, and an active member of the St. Joseph's Society. Bell Labs wasn't just a place of employment for Gabe. It was the resource for the camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and Coleman lanterns he would need for camping trips before the family could acquire its own. The first trip was a rainy weekend to the Poconos in Pennsylvania where the young family slept in a station wagon. Over time the range spread far and wide into New England, Nova Scotia, and down into the Southern states. Tent camping with a growing family meant sleeping bags cheek-by-jowl and usually a crib in the center. Gabe had it all worked out when we arrived: each had a certain task to do. New Hampshire and Vermont claimed a special place in Gabe's heart. And as the family hiked the woods and mountains, Hedy would point out flowers along the trails and Gabe would photograph them. Gabe was a self-taught photographer with a keen eye for composing images. He had at least one showing of his work at Bell Labs. The rest of the treasure trove of 10, 000 or more Kodak slides will eventually be digitalized for the family library as sources of memories. Gabe never let the family forget that we are Polish and, as he insisted, descended from Polish nobility. As we tell the story our name ending in an 'a' and not 'ski' or 'sky' means that we are royalty. Whether we are or are not descended from royalty being Polish and Polish traditions define Gabe's children and their families. There is the Polish babka bread baked at Easter, great links of kielbasa, and old world potato salad. When he and Hedy were parishioners at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield prior to their move to Lincroft, Gabe would take an Easter basket to the rectory to be blessed by the parish priest. Christmas Eve was steeped in tradition whether it was the beloved breaking of the Christmas Wafer - Oplatek (pronounced 'opwatek') - the meal chosen for traditions and the number of courses, the hay from the manger placed under the tablecloth, the place set for the unexpected guest, the blessing of the Nativity and later processing through the house for The Feast of The Three Kings. There are now great-grandchildren being raised on the ideals and traditions that meant family to Gabe. The pivotal moment for Gabe was when he lost the love of his life, Hedy, to cancer fifteen years ago. The family did not see him surviving that experience; but his faith, family, friends and strong church community became a staff that he leaned on to the very end of his days. Gabe's smile would light up a room. His blue eyes would twinkle and his face would reflect his true nature. He was a good soul, a good man, and a very kind one. As Gabe used to say about movies, 'They just don't make 'em like that anymore.' Gabe maintained his humor and his positive demeanor to the end. The day before he died he greeted one of his daughters by saying, 'So, how is your dog and tell me about yourself.' Gabe loved life! He loved the outdoors: photographing it, hiking in it, walking in it. Many was the lunch hour while he was employed in Holmdel that he walked and photographed aspects of Holmdel Park. He was a collector of music of all kinds. A keeper of an image is Gabe sitting in his recliner in the living room with his eyes closed, a smile on his face listening to a classical piece. In his final hours family members were at his bedside singing campfire songs, hymns, show tunes and lullabies. And Gabe loved food. A nicely built Reuben sandwich, especially with a cold draft were wonderful pleasures. As the saying goes, 'Gabe never met a meal he didn't like.' To this day the family repeats two favorite sayings of his: 'Everything in moderation, including moderation.' and 'There are those who eat to live and those who live to eat and I'm happy being the second one.' But most of all, people will remember Gabe's love for his sweetheart. Hedy was his life, his compass, his joy. They loved life together. And the family rejoices that they are reunited and with their Lord once again. Gabe was intimately involved with St. Leo the Great R.C. Church and parish for over 50 years in the Church Choir, as a Church lector and Eucharistic Minister, and as an active member of the St. Joseph Society. Donations may be made in his memory to the St. Joseph Society of St. Leo the Great parish, 50 Hurley's Lane, Lincroft, N.J. 07738