Joseph John Chojnowski

Joseph John Chojnowski, 85, of Old Saybrook passed away peacefully on January 23, 2015 in the comfort of his home with his family and friends by his side. Joseph was born and raised in New Britain on November 13, 1929, the youngest son of the late Leon and Rose (Dawidczyk) Chojnowski, His wife, Anne (Ludko) Chojnowski predeceased him on July 28, 1997. They were married for 43 years. Joseph is survived by his three daughters, Joanne Putnam of Old Saybrook, Jayne Baczewski and her husband Joseph, of Southington, Ellen Harris and her husband, Sonny of Bradford, New Hampshire; his four grandchildren, Kelly Spiller and her husband, Gerry, of Grantham, New Hampshire, Joseph Baczewski and his wife, Cindy, and Robert Baczewski, all of Southington, and William Putnam of Old Saybrook; and his three great-grandchildren, Madeline Spiller, Joseph "Ziggy" and Hannah Baczewski. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as his faithful companion, Buster. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Stanley and Edward and his two sisters, Helen and Sophie in infancy. He attended Sacred Heart School and E.C. Goodwin Technical School. He was a U.S. Army Veteran, having served in Germany from 1951 to 1953 as a civil engineer. He was a firefighter for the City of New Britain, retiring in 1977. He later was employed by the Hospital for Special Care, New Britain National Bank, and up until his illness for the Town of Old Saybrook Public Works-Transfer Station. Joseph was a member of the Cornfield Point Beach Assn, Catholic War Veterans and Westbrook Elks B.P.O.E. 1784, where he was Elk of the Year in 2008. He was a devout Roman Catholic and a member of St. John Church in Old Saybrook, where he served as a Eucharistic Minister. Calling hours are Thursday, January 29, 2015 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Swan Funeral Home, 1224 Boston Post Rd., Old Saybrook. Burial service will be held at 3 PM at Sacred Heart Cemetery in New Britain. Memorial donations may be sent to Middlesex Hospital & Palliative Care, 28 Crescent St., Middletown, CT, 06457 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 38105. The family would like to extend thanks to his many friends and neighbors for their support and kindness shown to our father and all of us during this difficult time, especially Pavel and Nancy Wilson and Tedd and Carol Levy. Please visit www.swanfuneralhomeoldsaybrook.com for online tributes and condolences.