Stanley W. Szteliga

Taunton Stanley W. Szteliga, 87 years old, died June 23, 2008, in Kindred Specialty Hospital in Stoughton. Born in Taunton, son of the late Wladyslaw and Elizabeth (Skiba) Szteliga. He was a graduate of Taunton High School, Class of 1938. Stanley was a highly decorated World War II veteran. He was awarded the Air Medal, with four oak-leaf clusters, for having completed 50 combat missions as a B-17 ball turret gunner during his tour of duty in Northern Italy, which included missions into his parent's native Poland, as well as Germany. He alsoa received a Presidental Citation for being part of a bombing raid of an airfield in Memmingen, Germany, which successfully completed their missions despite the lack of fighter plane escort and the loss of 14 out of 26 B-17 bombers, while being attacked by over 20 enemy planes. He was discharged with the rank of staff sergeant. Prior to the war, he was a member of the CCC, and following the War, he was employed as a silversmith and silverbober at Sheridan Silver, Poole Silver FB Rogers and at Reed and Barton Silver Companies. After his retirement as a silversmith, he worked for the next 17 years as an instructor at Paul A. Dever State School in Taunton. For over 40 years, he and his family camped at the Bourne Scenic Park overlooking the Cape Cod Canal. An avid music lover of all types of music all his life, he and his late wife, Louise (Francis) Szteliga, enjoyed traveling to various Polka-brations throughout the area. He attended the very first Newport Jazz concert which was held at the Newport Cricket Club. He was proud of his vast hat collection, very proud of his Polish heritage and was a longtime communicant of Holy Rosary Church in Taunton. He is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Hathaway and her husband Manuel of Taunton; and a son, Michael Szteliga and his wife Ceil Moran of Turners Falls; and his grandchildren, Robin Hosford and her husband Shawn of Maine, Jeffrey Hathaway and his wife Julie of Taunton, Heather Montminy and her husband Douglas of Turners Falls and Hillary Szteliga of Buckland. He was the great-grandfather of Willow, Corrine, Joshua and Lilla; brother of Natalie Francis and her husband Robert of Taunton and the late Frederick Szteliga; and brother-in-law of Mildred Walczak of Taunton. He was the uncle and Godfather of several. Funeral to which relatives and friends are invited to attend will be held from the Sowiecki Funeral Home, 69 West Britannia St., Taunton, Friday at 8:30 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian burial in Holy Rosary Church at 9:30 a.m. Visiting hours Thursday from 4-8 p.m. Interment St. Josephs Cemetery. Donations in Stanleys memory may be made to the Patients Fund, Taunton Kidney Center, 1 Washington St., Taunton, MA 02780.