Obituary of Zigmund Joseph Sulewski

Zigmund J. ("Chick") Sulewski, of Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, a life-long businessman and animal lover, passed away peacefully at St. Clare's Hospital in Denville, New Jersey, on June 21, 2016, after a full life that still ended too soon following a recent heart attack. He was 78. Chick was born on April 8, 1938, in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. His father, Zigmund Sulewski, Sr., immigrated to the United States as a child with his family from Losewo, Poland. His mother was Katherine Balus Sulewski, from Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania. As a boy Chick attended Holy Trinity School and the Nanticoke public schools. He attended Kutztown State College, where he played football. After college he served his country as a member of the U.S. Army in Germany. His business career started at a young age. He had his own newspaper route, helped his older brother Robert and cousins, Thomas Yatsko and Martin Kutz, selling produce in the summers, and by age 16 was managing a service station. After returning from his military service he briefly worked in finance and tool-and-dye manufacturing. Chick moved to Parsippany in the 1960s, and for 30 years he owned Denville Auto Center and operated a school-bus company, Sulky Transport. He also earned his real-estate license and sold properties well after his retirement. Chick's varied interests reflected his passion for life. He enjoyed working with machines, tinkering with his antique cars, boating on Lake Hopatcong and piloting his own airplane, as well as debating current events and his theories on thermodynamics. He also traveled with his father to visit his ancestral roots in Poland, and doted on the wildlife in his backyard and his own beloved cat, Thumper, and pug dog, Daisy. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He was pre-deceased by his siblings Robert Suleski and Marianne Hill. He is survived by his loving sisters Joanne Sulewski, M.D., of Buffalo, N.Y., and Eileen Grevera, of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, as well as by his devoted nieces Kathryn Ann Tomaino and Caryn Oplinger, and nephews Robert Suleski, Kevin Grevera, and Jonathan and Christopher Hill VMD. He leaves his loving companion of several decades, Kathleen Sturdevant Spina, and many friends, including his former wife and lifelong friend, Rita Lucas. Visitation will be held on Monday, June 27th from 3-7 pm with a Funeral Service beginning at 6:30 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Ave., Denville, NJ 07834. Visitation will also be held on Tuesday, June 28th from 3-7 pm at Grontkowski Funeral Home, 51 W. Green St., Nanticoke, PA 18634. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 29th at 10:00 am at St. Faustina Kowalska RC Parish, Nanticoke, PA. Burial will follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery, Nanticoke, PA. Chick's family requests that instead of flowers, donations be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by way of www.inmemoryof-memorial.org. Please leave a condolence for his family.