Sylvester F. Wisniewski

WISNIEWSKI , Sylvester F. Stan Wisniewski loved teaching more than anything. After retiring from Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, PA in 1998, where he taught visual arts in the Fine Arts Department, he and his wife Betty became 'snowbirds,' spending their winters in Matlacha, FL. He soon became involved with the Pine Island Art Association and volunteered his time teaching life drawing to a devoted group of students. Sylvester F. Wisniewski , artist, teacher, husband, father, grandfather, and friend, died May 15, 2012, four days after his 81st birthday. Dr. Wisniewski was born in Baltimore, MD, the fourth of six children to Polish born parents, Casimira (Elizabeth) and Ben
Wisniewski. His interest in learning was recognized early and his family provided him the opportunity to attend Mt. Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore. After graduation from 'Mt. St. Joes' he attended; St. Vincent College, Towson State College, Mexico City University, University of Oregon and finally Columbia University where he earned his PhD. Stan often shared many colorful stories about growing up in the Fells Point area of Baltimore, which at that time was a tight-knit Polish neighborhood. He was proud of his Polish heritage and grew up in a close family and enjoyed a life-long connection to his extended family. In 1977, Stan participated as a Professor in an exchange program between Lock Haven State College and Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland. He brought his children with him for the semester and they all had the opportunity to meet and spend time with their extended Polish family. Stan was an active member of the Lock Haven and Mill Hall, PA communities for the 40 plus years he lived in the area. As a young boy he visited the area during a Boy Scout hike through the Appalachian Mountains. He told himself then that if he ever had a chance to spend his life in the area he would, and when he moved to Lock Haven in the early 1970's to begin teaching at what was then Lock Haven State College, he fulfilled that dream. Influenced by a lecture given by Buckminster Fuller when he was a young man, Stan built his dream home, a series of geodesic domes perched on a hillside in Bald Eagle Township. Many residents of the area will recall the numerous parties Stan and Betty held at 'the domes' over the years. While he loved his life in PA, he was ready to retire and spend winters in a warmer climate. He and Betty quickly embraced the Matlacha, FL island community. His involvement with the Pine Island Art Association brought him great joy and fulfillment and he cherished the new friends he made through that organization. Stan loved to paint and draw in his large open studio at 'the domes.' He loved books and was a voracious reader of fiction and especially poetry. Last fall, knowing that he had a terminal illness, Stan decided to take a month long road and train trip to the West Coast and back, across the US and through the Canadian Rockies. He and a dear friend had a glorious time enjoying fine food and beautiful destinations. Dr. Wisniewski is survived by a sister, Dorothy Wisniewski and a brother Leo Wisniewski, both of Baltimore, MD; children Kate Wisniewski, Seattle, WA, Chris Wisniewski, Friday Harbor, WA, and Lisa Wisniewski, Portland, OR; grandchildren Olivia Evans, and Russell Evans, Portland, OR. He was preceded in death by his wife Betty C. Wisniewski, and his former wife and mother of his children, Joanne Russell.
A Memorial Service will be held at Lock Haven University at a later date to be announced. The family suggests remembrances to the Pine Island Art Association, Matlacha FL or Hope Hospice, Cape Coral, FL.