Cezary Janiszewski

Cezary Janiszewski was born in 1938 in Lodz, Poland, before World War II started. In war-torn Poland, when he was just a child himself, Cezary took care of his younger sister, going without to make sure she had enough to eat. Even as a small child he always put his family first. Cezary lived through the terrible war, the Soviet occupation, and communist Poland. He loved his country and bravely served in the Polish Navy for three years, with honors and distinction. At 18, he met the love of his life, and a year later in 1957, they married on Christmas Day. With his wife, by his side, he raised two children, a son Mark and daughter Elizabeth. Forever focused on a better life for his family.

Cezary was a successful entrepreneur, a rarity in then communist Poland. Fearlessly starting his own thriving business. Providing his family with uncommon prosperity and opportunities that others did not have, such as vacations and travel to the West. Without a formal education but equipped with a brilliant mind, travel became a lifelong passion of Cezary. The world became his teacher, traveling the world over, visiting other countries and learning about new cultures. A passion he has passed on to his daughter and grandchildren.

On one such vacation in 1981, after Russian tanks rolled into Poland, always looking forward, he decided to leave his life and business in Poland, to give his daughter and his family an opportunity for a better life. In 1982, without hesitation, when the opportunity presented itself, he courageously led his family to the United States. In their mid-40s, Cezary and his wife started a new life. He learned how to speak, read and write in a new language. And as all immigrants to this country do, he got work where he could, first in grocery stores, then got jobs on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, then rose to a Supervisor position for the state of Louisiana from where he retired from in 1999. After, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles to be close to their daughter. He fulfilled the American dream with hard work and perseverance - he bought, built, and upgraded homes. He gave his daughter an American education and sending her to university and graduate school, where she graduated with honors. He did all this and more for his family. And though he enjoyed sports, travel, and meeting new people, his family was everything to him.

Following a routine checkup on April 29th 2022, Cezary was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He immediately started chemotherapy. After five failed treatments that devastated his body, he was given just a few weeks left to live. He bravely and forcefully fought the prognosis, a testament as to how he lived his life. He fought for another two months, wanting to live to see his grandchildren return from school abroad and to make sure that his wife and family affairs were in order. Cezary did this and more, always living life to the fullest, taking a pleasant dip in the pool with his grandchildren in his last remaining days. He passed peacefully on Wednesday night, July 27th.

For those that knew him briefly, he was a consummate gentleman, a kind soul, and always courteous. For those who knew him well, he was a loving friend, always curious, willing to solve any problem, and offer any help. He was sharp, intelligent, independent, and resilient, as were those of his generation. He was a man’s man, could fix anything mechanical, botanical, and even philosophical, and ultimately a fierce protector of his family. In his lifetime, Cezary witnessed unspeakable horrors and suffered horrendous personal tragedies, but through every adversity, he maintained his strength of spirit, his will to love and live, and his tremendous optimism. He was brave, kind, and generous, and he lived his life with absolute honor and integrity, always thinking of his family first.

Cezary is survived by his wife of 65 years, Halina Janiszewski, his daughter Elizabeth, his son-in-law, Saj, his grandchildren - Robert, Anita, Maya, and Grayson, and great-grandchildren - Tymon, Jan, Tola, and Aleksander. He loved his family, his wife Halina, and all his children, son-in-law included, until his last breath.

As he would always say to anyone visiting, even his family, “Thank you for coming, thank you for coming to visit, I much appreciate it.”

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Redlands YMCA of East Valley: https://ymcaeastvalley.org/give/