Tadeusz “Ted” Wallag, 84, of Vero Beach, died on Sept. 11, 2010.
Born in Poland, he was a resident of West Bloomfield, Mich., until his relocation to Florida. After his father was murdered in the Katyn Forest massacre, he along with his mother, two brothers and sister were deported to Siberia where his mother died. Ted and his siblings were released from the Soviet Labor Camp to serve under General Anders in the Second Polish Corps in the Middle East.
Ted was educated in England and arrived in the United States in 1951. Ted was a career chemical engineer with The Ford Motor Company Body Engineering in Dearborn, Mich., where he headed the materials lab responsible for textiles and plastics.
He was fiercely proud of his work and mentored those around him to always better themselves. He retired in 1984 and set about to extensively travel the USA, Europe and South America. His journeys covered tens of thousands of miles and each had a story to go with the locale.
Ted was presented The Orderem Zaslugi Pospolitej Polskiej, the highest honor awarded by the President of Poland in recognition for his contribution to Polish causes internationally.
He was active in the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Polish American Cultural Center.
To those who knew him, even casually, the one unanimous word used to describe him was “gentleman.”
Ted always had a smile and kind word for all who met him. He loved life, his family and his granddaughter.
Survivors include his children, Jan and Jim Pagano, Ted and Karen Wallag and Ursula Tucker; his beloved granddaughter Erika Pagano; his brother, Eugene Wallag; as well as nieces and nephews and many friends who loved and adored him.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jeanette Guminski Wallag (mother of his children) and his second wife, J. Renata Dambska Wallag; his brother, Zbigniew Wallag, and sister, Jane Wallag Shields.
Friends and family may gather at St. Colman Catholic Church, 32500 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills, on Saturday Sept. 18, at 9:30 a.m. for visitation until a time of remembrance at 10:45 a.m., followed by a Memorial Mass at 11a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to: The Kosciuszko Foundation, Inc. 15 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065 USA (www.theKF.org)
Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Gifford-Seawinds Funeral Home and Crematory, Vero Beach, Florida.
Condolences may be sent through www.seawindsfh.com/obit.php.
