Walter M. Gutowski

FUNERAL HOME

Schimunek Funeral Home

610 W MacPhail Rd

Bel Air, Maryland

Walter Gutowski Obituary

GUTOWSKI , Walter M. On March 5, 2013, Walter Melvin Gutowski ; beloved husband of Joyce Catherine Gutowski (nee Bonolis); devoted father of Walter Gutowski and his wife Charlene, Michael Gutowski and his wife Catherine, Paul Gutowski, Deborah Trabing and her husband Michael, and Marlene Impallaria and her husband Joseph Jr.; loving grandfather of fourteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; dear brother of Theresa, Joan and Michael.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit at Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air Inc. 610 W. MacPhail Rd. (at Rt. 24) on Saturday and Sunday from 3-5 and 7-9 PM. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday at 10:30 AM at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church (Abindgon, MD). Interment will follow at Bel Air Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. On line tributes may be left at
www.schimunekfuneralhomes.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Baltimore Sun on Mar. 7, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
for Walter Gutowski

10 Entries

Walter Gutowski

May 17, 2020

Dads Eulogy
He was a son to Walter and Wanda, a brother to Tessie, Joanie and Mike, a husband to my mom Joyce for 56 years, a father to me, my twin brother Mike, Paul, Deb and Marlene (and Pauls twin sister Wanda whom the Lord took to heaven as an infant) and our spouses, a grandfather to 14, a great grandfather to 4 --- and a great friend to many who are gathered here today. And he left a lasting impression on all of us in so many ways.
Walter Melvin Gutowski was born on December 8, 1930 -- the feast of the Immaculate Conception. He always felt a special devotion to the Blessed Mother throughout his life. He believed his closeness to her helped to save his life on two occasions when he got caught in the undertow while swimming. He said in both situations, he felt as if someone was there actually lifting him out of trouble. He always believed that someone was the Blessed Mother.
His parents were from Poland and as a young child, he learned to speak Polish before he learned English. When one of his neighbors couldnt pronounce his name in Polish (Vwadu), he started to call him Wash instead. And that became a nickname that stuck with him as he grew up. He lived in Locust Point in South Baltimore where he attended Holy Rosary Catholic School. His parents owned a confectionery store. Every night he would go into the store to pick up a pint of chocolate ice cream. It was always one of his favorites, even into his adult life. Weve always said that my son Ryan got his great love for ice cream from dad.
He could be stubbornly mischievous as a young boy. A good example is when he hid the paddle their mom used to discipline he and his sister Tessie who was nearly 2 years older. She would stand watch for him as hed climb the pile of wood next to the stove and throw it behind the pile. When their mom replaced the paddle with another, theyd do it again. This went on with several paddles until eventually the wood pile got low enough that their mom found all of the paddles. He could be a persistent little devil but also very caring and protective as he grew into his teenage years. His younger sister Joan, who was 9 years younger, recalls the time he came home and saw her down on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor. He looked down at her and said you can get up off the floor, Ill do that.
After grade school he attended Poly High School while playing sandlot soccer and baseball. He was a soccer fullback who could drive the ball very well with both feet and he had the speed to run down the fastest strikers. Late in high school, he decided to go out for Polys football team. When the coach told him that hed never play for his team if he didnt play center, dad set out to prove him wrong. He came back the following year and not only made that football team but ended up as a starting 2-way player (offensive and defensive end) while also doing the placekicking. During that season, he made the All-Metro Team selected by the Baltimore News Posts Vince Bagli. Almost 30 years later, when I started working in the Baltimore Colts PR department, WBAL-TV Sports Director Vince Bagli told me he remembered watching dad play football for Poly and said he was an outstanding player. I was surprised that he would remember dad after covering so many teams and players over the years. One of the assistant coaches on the Colts at that time was Dick Bielski who happened to be one of dads good friends growing up. Dick told me what a great athlete dad was but even more important, what a great friend he was to him growing up.
Dad also played sandlot baseball and was offered a contract to play in the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system but he declined because he didnt want to leave his job at P&G. I often wondered what would have happened if he pursued a career in baseball. I remember as a young boy watching him play fast-pitch softball for Zinks Café, and seeing his great power, consistently driving the ball deep to left field (he was a dead pull hitter) and the strength of his arm. I can still remember the whizzing sound the ball made as it traveled through the air after he threw it. And the speed with which he circled the bases. He was a truly gifted athlete.
After high school, dad went to work at Proctor & Gamble in South Baltimore. A few months later, the Korean War broke out and he and a few of his friends decided to enlist in the military. He joined the Air Force in 1951 and worked as an air traffic control tower operator in Japan for 3 years until his honorable discharge in 1954. He received the Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. One day his quick thinking helped to prevent a potential tragedy when he noticed that two planes were ready to land on the same air strip. He quickly told one plane to circle the airport one time before landing to avoid a collision. After landing, the pilot of that plane came to thank him for saving their lives.
After serving his country, he met my mom and it was pretty much True Love (which was their wedding song) at first sight. They would get married and have six children, raising five of us in northeast Baltimore. Dad had a great devotion to his Catholic faith, so he made sure we all went to church every Sunday. It was important to him and mom to educate us in Catholic schools, so he worked a lot of overtime at P&G and took a part-time job on weekends in order to pay the tuition for all of us through high school and some of us into college. As kids growing up, we learned quickly from him about what hard work and sacrifice was and what it meant to truly put the interest of others ahead of your own.
We also learned how to actually live out the old adage treat others as you would like to be treated. He was patient -- I will always remember how he would work with me to help me understand a subject I was studying and the patience he showed in continuing to work with me when I just didnt get it. He was sensitive always available to listen to your problems and help you solve them. He was generous -- whenever a friend, neighbor or even someone he didnt know needed assistance, he was always ready and willing to give them a helping hand. He was supportive always encouraging us to pursue our dreams. His relationship with mom, his parents and siblings, his friends and even how he treated total strangers were examples for how we should pattern our lives and behavior. I continue to strive to imitate these traits every day.
And was he ever handy (that part I cant imitate but my twin brother Mike picked up that trait). We never hired anyone to do home improvement projects around our house. Whether it was fixing the plumbing, repairing the car, putting a new roof on the house, fixing a television or radio, or pouring a concrete patio, he did it all himself. And if he didnt know how to do it, he would get a book to teach himself how. He would bring home televisions or radios to fix them for their owners free of charge. And his ability to work with his hands extended beyond home repairs to our school projects. Whether is was constructing a model altar for religion class, a solar system for science class or making an angel costume for a school play he could do it all.
He worked 35 years at Proctor & Gamble, mainly as a senior analyst in the lab, where he was the person who made sure all of the soap, detergent and other products being produced met company standards. Less than a year after he retired, he underwent a quadruple bypass which allowed us to have him in our lives for another 26 years. He maintained his great love for sports during these years. Whenever he left the house, he would always be wearing either an Orioles or a Ravens cap. He was also an animal lover, especially of dogs. From his first dog, Whitey (a Spitz) to his last dog Princey (an Australian Shepard), he enjoyed a special bond with his pets. And he could whistle like no one Ive ever heard. Wed be playing at a friends house several blocks away and we could still hear his whistle for us to come home.
During his retirement years he endured more than his share of physical challenges including a hip replacement, prostate cancer, Alzheimers and gangrene. But he met all of these challenges with a sense of humor, dignity, and faith in God and the Blessed Mother that helped him rise above them. Even through his last days, he bravely maintained his pleasant disposition with dignity and kindness to all those caring for him until the end.
About 10 minutes before the first viewing on Saturday afternoon at the funeral home my sister Deb whispered into his ear Dad I love you. I know you cant hear me here but I know you can hear me in Heaven. About a minute later, the power went out in the funeral home, except for the emergency lights in each parlor. And we immediately speculated that dad heard Deb and that he was answering her through the power outage. Then about 10 minutes later, the emergency flood lights in our parlor also went out to plunge it into total darkness but none of the other parlors lost their emergency lights. Thats when we knew dad was behind all of this. He was a very humble man who never sought the spotlight and didnt want us to be making a big deal over him now.
We have so many wonderful memories of dad. His sense of humor -- always with a ready smile and a joke to lighten the mood. His compassion from the warmth and calming effect of his hand placed on the forehead of one of his sick children to adopting so many stray animals throughout the years. His work ethic -- he was driven to always give his best effort for his family, friends and employer. His strength he was truly our rock as we were growing upa source of security that was unwavering. And his great love for his family and friends that was shown every day by how he gave of himself to all of us.

Here's what family and friends remember most about him:
From co-worker Walt Donellon: He was a very nice man who everyone liked. He never talked badly about anyone. I never knew what a great athlete he was because he never talked about it --- until a sports buff from the area told me he was the best athlete to ever come out of Locust Point.
Another co-worker Madeline Petroff said: He was so ornery --- always kidding around. Id have to go to him pretty much every day for his insight on my projects and after we finished the work, he would start telling me about his kids. He was a true family man.
From sister Tessie: He was my best friend. He was my bud.
From sister Joanie: He was always there for me.
From my wife Charlene: Ill remember him most by his warm and sunny disposition.
From daughter-in-law Mary: He was a wonderful loving, kind, generous person, who treated everyone the same.
From granddaughter Dawn who lived 2 years with dad and mom while she was going to college: He was strong, kind, romantic, caring, understanding and a great listener.
From son Mike: The one word to describe him best is selfless. Also, when you were around him, he made you feel all was right with the world.
From son Paul: He had the most self-control of anyone Ive ever known.
From daughter Deb: Dad had all the characteristics of a Saint. He had a strong faith in the Lord and it was evident in his everyday life. He was loving, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, benevolent, humble, and good humored. Dad was truly an inspiration.
From daughter Marlene: If he lost his temper at you, you know you REALLY had done something wrong. He was the closest thing I ever knew to a Saint here on earth.
And from mom: He was my everything.
Dad was just an all-around great guy and weve been blessed to have him in our lives as a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother and friend over the past 82 years. He was a true role model for all of us and we will miss him -- but he will live in our hearts, minds and memories forever. And I will always be so proud to be his son.

Dick Bielski

March 12, 2013

To the family of Walt.
I have great memories of your Dad, Grandfather and Great Grandfather. We all called him "Wash" at the time. My thoughts are with him and the family he left behind. He was someone we could all be proud of, I know I was.
Dick Bielski

March 11, 2013

Walt, Michael, and Family. Sorry for the loss of your +Dad. May he enjoy an early Easter. Peace and consolation to all of you!

Joe Bayne, OFM Conv.
Curley 1975

Debbie Anderson

March 8, 2013

Loving memories that will last forever, prayers go out to the Gutowski family,
Love to you all, Debbie Lee XXOO

Jody & Joe Millstone

March 7, 2013

So sorry to hear of your family's loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Ted and Gayle Zamerski

March 7, 2013

We were saddened to hear the news about Walt and we hope that you will find your memories of him comforting in the days ahead. We will miss Walt and his love of East Baltimore, Holy Rosary and our Polish heritage. Dobranoc Walt, Idz z Bogiem.

Mary Schott ( formly Gutowski)

March 7, 2013

He will forever be in my memory as a wonderful loving, kind, generous person, who treated everyone the same. He took me into his family and treated me like a father would after my own father had been taken by the lord. The caring and love he showed to his family and friends will be sorely missed by all, especially me. Rest in peace Dzia.

Jerry Wysocki

March 7, 2013

My sympathies to my classmates, Walt and Mike, on the passing of your dad. My prayers and thoughts.