Online Obituaries

Rose “Rosie” (Kaczmarczyk) Stachowicz, age 99, life-long Chicopee resident, died peacefully among family on Monday, June 22, 2015 at Wingate of South Hadley.  Born in Ware, Rose moved to Chicopee at a very early age with her parents, Katherine (Marchwicki) and John Kaczmarczyk.  Rose grew up in the Sandy Hill section of Chicopee and, although they never met, she and her future husband lived on the very same street.  Rose attended Chicopee schools, then went to work at age fourteen providing domestic help and child care to a Forest Park family for $3 per week in order to help with finances.  She was allowed to keep five cents each week to enjoy an ice cream treat.  Later, she worked on local tobacco farms and as a lace cutter in a factory that made slips and nightgowns.  She worked at Westinghouse and on the assembly line at Stevens Arms during World War II, finally retiring from Eastern Etching in 1974 after 28 years.  A devoted wife, she enjoyed taking care of her home and her beloved husband, the late Morris (“Eppa”) Stachowicz.  Rose always prided herself on her work ethic and she continued doing daily chores into her late nineties.  A communicant of St. Stanislaus Basilica and Rosary Society member, she enjoyed crocheting, knitting, cooking, gardening, boating, playing cards and spending time with family and friends.

She is predeceased by her two brothers, Stanley and Peter Kaczmarczyk, both of Chicopee.  She is survived by a sister-in-law, Emily Mayotte of Chicopee and many loving nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. Friends and relatives are invited for visitation on Friday, June 26 from 8:30-9:30 am at the Cierpial Memorial Funeral Home, 61 Grape St., in Chicopee, followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial in St. Stanislaus Basilica, 566 Front St in Chicopee at 10 am. Her burial will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, 800 Montgomery St., Chicopee. Memorial donations may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, 516 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.