Online Obituaries

Sigmund “Zig” Ziemba, 85, of Chicopee, died on Friday, August 17, 2018. Zig was born and raised in Chicopee, where he and his wife of 62 years, Beatrice, raised their four children. A devoted husband and father, he retired in 1992 after 33 years in Mass Mutual’s Data Processing Department as a Senior Systems Analyst, where he was one of the first to enter the then burgeoning field of Computer Analytics. Prior to his long career at Mass Mutual, Zig was a high school teacher at Searles High School in Great Barrington, MA. Zig was born on September 15, 1932 in Chicopee as the son of the late Stanislaw and Marya (Kielbasa) Ziemba. He was a communicant of Mary, Mother of Hope Church. He studied at University of Massachusetts and Western New England College and graduated from American International College in 1958 with a BS in business administration. Zig enjoyed working with wood and honed his skills by completing several major home improvement projects over the years. He was also a member of the Chicopee Redevelopment Authority and the Chicopee-based Tiger’s Athletic Club, and he enjoyed working Bingo at the former St. Patrick’s Church, also in Chicopee. He was a decorated Army veteran of the Korean War and received the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars and a Purple Heart. Zig is survived by his wife, Beatrice (Lemoine) Ziemba; and four children, Ruth Ziemba of Santa Monica, CA, Debra Swinicki and her husband, Edward of Easthampton, Nile Ziemba and his wife, Linda of Concord, MA and Lisa Scarr and her husband Michael of Folsom, CA; three grandchildren, Sage Ziemba, Grey Ziemba and Nickolas Swinicki and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by a sister, Zita Ziemba. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at the Cierpial Memorial Funeral Home on 69 East St. in Chicopee Falls from 9:30 to 10:30 am. A Liturgy of Christian Burial will follow in Mary Mother of Hope Church on 840 Page Blvd. in Springfield at 11 am. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Chicopee. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mary Mother of Hope Church, 840 Page Blvd. Springfield, MA 01104.