Elzbieta (Kostrzewska) Szewczyk

Elzbieta (Kostrzewska) Szewczyk, aged 72, passed away peacefully and surrounded by loving family on Friday, August 16, 2024 after battling a metastatic brain tumor for over 20 months. She is survived by her daughters, Beata Dyar and Monika Lussier, and their spouses; three grandsons, Kieran, Dylan and Arden; and two brothers, Boguslaw and Zbigniew Kostrzewski and their families.

Elzbieta was born in Piastow, Poland in 1952 and grew up in Pruskow. In her youth, she was quiet, serious and hardworking. She was a good student and attended a railway technical school (technikum kolejowe) in Warsaw. In 1972, after her mother passed away, Elzbieta moved to Chicago, Illinois with her family. She met Andrzej in 1973 and they married on June 22, 1974. While living in Chicago, Elzbieta had a vibrant social life in the Polish community. She and Andrzej danced with the Polonez dance group where they met some of their dearest lifelong friends. Elzbieta loved to travel and worked for several airlines at O’Hare Airport, which facilitated family trips abroad.

In the summer of 1989, Elzbieta and Andrzej moved to Oregon after Andrzej accepted a new job. Elzbieta became an active member of the St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church where her volunteer work spanned several decades; this included managing the logistics for the Portland Polish Festival when it first began in 1994 and in the years that followed. While in Oregon, Elzbieta continued working in the travel sector and eventually worked as an independent travel agent, where she prioritized customer service and the satisfaction of her clients (which included USA Fencing athletes based in Oregon). During her 35 years in Oregon, Elzbieta continued to pursue her love of travel, with seaside destinations in warm climates being her favorite.

Elzbieta will be remembered for her love and care for others. She got joy from helping others and it didn’t come naturally to her to ask others for anything. In her own quiet way, she was fiercely independent. She was an excellent cook and put much thought and love into every meal she prepared, always preparing too much so that the food never ran out. And throughout it all, she never stopped smiling her radiant smile.

Elzbieta will join Andrzej at the Saint James the Less block of the mausoleum at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.