Tom Pawielski

Stanley "Tom" Pawielski, age 95, of Munising, died peacefully in his sleep at his home on Sunday morning, August 23, 2015. He was born one of eleven children to Polish immigrants, Stanley and Blanche (Chmielewski) Pawielski. Tom spoke Polish until he attended Sacred Heart School where he learned to speak English. He graduated from Sacred Heart and then began a lifetime of working hard at whatever job he had. His first job as a young teenager was tapping the trees on Grand Island for maple syrup. Tom was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked at Camp Pori in Ontonagon. He married Muriel Draze on September 20, 1941. Tom served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and returned home to finish his working career at Kimberly Clark. He worked forty-two years and retired as a utility worker in 1982. Tom was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Church and had a daily devotion of praying the Rosary. He was also a member of the American Legion. Tom enjoyed cross country skiing and would ski five hours a day well into his 80's. He was a gifted carpenter and built the home he and Muriel shared. Tom was also a great gardener of both flowers and vegetables, and he was kind and generous. He was wonderful with children and was active with his daughters and grandchildren. They would spend many hours on picnics and swimming in the lakes in our area. Tom enjoyed being at home with Muriel, feeding the birds, and watching Westerns on the television.

He is survived by his wife of almost seventy-four years - Muriel of Munising; daughters - Jan (Ray) LaTour of Kincheloe and Jill Zofia of Traverse City, MI; grandchildren - Dan LaTour, Julie (Bradley) McHugh, Dean LaTour, Anna Yardley, and Tessa (Tyson) Chaplin; great grandchildren - Angela, Autumn, and Braeden LaTour, John Dee II, Derrick McHue, and Lennox and Tatum Chaplin; great-great grandson - Hunter Dee; brother -John Pawielski of Niles, MI; and numerous nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Anthony, Joe, Edward, and Chester Pawielski, Jenny Carlson, Sophie Miller, Adeline Baldwin, Justine Johnson, and Cecilia Shuck.

Visitation will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with the Rosary being recited at 7:00 p.m. Father Chris Gardiner will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at Sacred Heart Church in Munising at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Maple Grove Cemetery where the American Legion and Vietnam Veteran Honor Guard will conduct military honors. He will be escorted by his grandchildren.