Daniel Paul Kwiatkowski

Daniel Paul Kwiatkowski

1938-2020

Daniel Paul Kwiatkowski, age 82, of Toledo, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 4, 2020, at home with his beloved wife Maria by his side. He was born on September 9, 1938, in Toledo, OH, to Stanley and Rose (Dolski) Kwiatkowski. Daniel was a graduate of DeVilbiss High School, Class of 1956. A skilled athlete, he attended the University of Georgia on a full athletic scholarship and was a proud inductee in the DeVilbiss Football Hall of Fame. He also played for the Toledo Tornadoes.

Daniel worked for Pepsi, Faygo, and Canfield Beverages, and was an Independent Distributor for Little Debbie products for over 30 years. A devoted husband and father, he declined several promotions over the years in order to spend more time with his daughters. Family and friends were a priority to Daniel. He loved family gatherings, breakfasts with the Pepsi Retirees, and visits with friends, several of those friendships being lifelong. In his free time, he also enjoyed playing softball and was an avid golfer with several Senior Leagues. A skilled car mechanic, he took pride in his 1928 Dodge (previously the police car for Wayne, OH), and his vintage Whizzer bike, both of which he restored and displayed.

Daniel was known for random acts of kindness throughout his life. These included taking a year off from high school to aid his parents financially, changing a flat tire in the pouring rain for a pregnant woman and pulling a friend from a pond in freezing weather to name a few. A kind and generous man, he touched many lives and will be dearly missed.

Daniel was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ralph, and John (Jane) Kwiatkowski, and Roland (Kate) Kwiat; father-in-law, Ted Menes; mother-in-law, Margaret Menes; sister-in-law, Norma Kwiatkowski; and nephew, Nicholas Vanetta. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Maria (Menes) Kwiatkowski; daughters, Jo Ellen (Bryan) Birkenkamp, Tori Kwiatkowski, and Danielle (Todd) Fodor; brother, Gerry Kwiatkowski; sister, Joann Vanetta; brother-in-law, Ted Menes; sisters-in-law, Rose Menes and Genevieve (John) Petroski; grandchildren, Dustin (Lindsay) Birkenkamp, Lexi, Drew, and Owen Fodor; great-grandson, Gabriel Birkenkamp; and many nieces and nephews.

A private Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral with interment in Resurrection Cemetery. Arrangements have been entrusted to Sujkowski Funeral Home Northpointe, 419-476-9176.

Memorial donations may be given to Hospice of Northwest Ohio or the Alzheimer's Association of Northwest Ohio in Maumee. Condolences can be shared with the family at www.sujkowski.com.

I'd like the memory of me

to be a happy one.

I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles

when the day is done.

I'd like to leave an echo

whispering softly down the ways

of happy times and laughing times

and bright and sunny days.

I'd like the tears of those who grieve

to dry before the sun

of happy memories that I leave behind

when the day is done.