The Stonington Intelligencer

Obituaries
of Local Interest

Updated 19 September 2007

Stefan¬ÝAndrzej Celichowski

Stefan Andrzei Skalski Celichowski died 10 September 2007 at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London after a short illness.

Born on 13 August 1920, in Poznan, Poland, Major Stefan Andrzej Skalski Celichowski graduated from Lycˆ©e Adam Mickiewicz in Poznan. Celichowski completed officer training in Wlodzimierz Wolynski. In the spring of 1939, he was still on military maneuvers and was called into active service in the days before the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. He then fought under General Kleberg in the famous last battle at Kock. After the surrender of the Polish Army on 6 October 1939, and having escaped from officer's prison camp, he became an active member of the Polish underground organization, Zwiazek Jaszczurczy. In 1944, he joined the guerilla units of the National Underground Army (Narodowy Sily Zbrojne) organized under the Brygada Swietokrzyska. During his time in the Brigade, Celichowski became the commanding officer of the security units for the Brigade's chief-of-staff. In April 1945, he was chosen as the commanding officer of a four-person detachment and succeeded in crossing the German front to General Patton's Army with orders informing the American Army of the existence and location of the 1,000-strong Polish brigade.

After the war in May, 1945, he served as a liaison officer in charge of the Polish Guard Units of the American Army in Germany. He was promoted by the American Army to the rank of major and remained active as a commanding officer until the units were disbanded in 1949.

In 1949, he emigrated to the United States. Within his first year in the U.S. he founded and organized the Polish assistance organization, Ogniwo, in Hartford. In 1951 he was approached by the State Department to work in Washington, D.C., where he remained until 1955.

He met and married Krystyna Gzowska, a survivor of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, and in 1956 they moved to Hartford, eventually settling with their three daughters in their first home in Glastonbury.

From 1956-86 Celichowski worked for Connecticut Bank & Trust, ultimately as a vice-president in charge of data programming and security. Since 1985, Mr and Mrs Celichowski have lived in Stonington Borough, where they have been very active community members. As a board member of the Stonington Historical Society, Celichowski was the director of the Lighthouse Museum for nine years. He was an avid tennis player, bridge player and gardener.

In October, 2005, Celichowski achieved the completion of his goal to have the archives and museum of the Brygada Swietokrzyska successfully transferred from the United States to the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. As committee chair for the project, he worked with the Polish Embassy in Washington and Jagiellonian University library director and faculty in planning for the proper housing and opening exhibit of the archives. As a political ˆ©migrˆ©, Stefan remained deeply committed to his religious beliefs, forever loyal to his native Poland, his family and friends, and eternally grateful to his new country, the United States.

He is survived by his wife, Krystyna Celichowska; their three daughters and spouses, Ewa and John Ojarovsky of Weston, Misia and Charles Dudley of Redding CT and Renata and Charles Oliver of New York City; and their four grandchildren, Alexandra, Stefan, and Isabel Dudley and Kajtek Oliver.

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, 22 September 2007, at St. Mary Church, Stonington Borough.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stonington Lighthouse Museum.

Elizabeth Horner James

Elizabeth Horner James, aged 90, died peacefully 10 August 2007 in Manchester, VT.

She was born in Baltimore, MD, 29 December 1916, the youngest daughter of the late Colonel Frederick Cecil Horner and Miriam (Ranson) Horner, of Washington DC, and Stonington, CT.

She resided in Stonington during summer and kept her main residence in Englewood, New Jersey where she lived with her late husband, Denis N. R. James. In 2002 she moved to VT to recuperate from surgery, and to be closer to her son, Carter Reynette James, and his wife Susan Iselin Gilbert James, and their two children, Braxton I. James and Tracy Noelle James.

Elizabeth lived her life to the fullest and traveled widely. She spoke French and some Italian. She studied to become a Literacy Volunteer of America and considered education to be of primary importance for all people. She enjoyed membership in the Garden Club of New Jersey for many years. Elizabeth was an avid swimmer and tried to swim several times each day when time allowed.

She loved the arts and music in particular and cherished her friends and their presence in her life.

Private memorial services will be held at a date to be announced by the rector’Äôs of the churches she attended.

Rev. Raymond Izbicki

The Reverend Raymond A. Izbicki, aged 85, of Stonington, died on Tuesday, 20 February 2007 in Mystic.

He was born in Norwich on 8 December 1921, the son of the late Anthony and Josephine (Izbicki) Izbicki. His stepmother was the late Josephine (Bukofski) Izbicki. He was a graduate of the Norwich Free Academy, Class of 1939.

At 21, he moved to New York City to work with the Columbia Broadcasting System to produce shortwave radio programs and with the Department of State and the Voice of America to produce foreign-language programs beamed to Europe during World War II. After the War, he worked with CARE, Inc. in Germany, Yugoslavia, The Netherlands, Italy, and Libya. After serving as the Director of CARE in Italy, he was honored by the Italian President Giovanni Gronchi who bestowed on him the rank of Commander, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the highest honor that could be granted to a civilian non-head of government, and received a private audience with Pope Pius XII who thanked him for his service to the Italian people.

Later he returned to New York City where he helped to open The Section Eleven Gallery owned by Betty Parsons, the doyenne of New York contemporary art dealers. He was later appointed director of The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

In 1975 he returned to the Mystic-Stonington area where he opened an art and antiques shop. He retired in 1989.

In February 1994 he was ordained a priest in the Anglican (Old Catholic) Church. For the next decade he was associated with St. James Church in Preston. Before his death he had limited his ministry to counseling, visiting the sick, and occasionally conducting funeral and marriage services.

Survivors include a sister-in-law, Bertha Izbicki of Preston and nieces and nephews.

His brother Chester Izbicki predeceased him.

After cremation, there will be a private memorial and burial service.

Contributions in memory of Father Izbicki may be made to The Stonington Village Improvement Association for The James Merrill House Writers in Residence Fund, P. O. Box 18, Stonington, CT 06378.