Danuta Kadziela

Danuta (Szalast) Kadziela, 90, of Rocky Hill passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 3, 2021. She was born in the village of Koscioszkow Wolyn, Poland. She and her family were exiled to Siberia, Russia in 1940. After spending a year and a half in Siberia, she and her mother and three sisters travelled with other Polish refugees and orphans to the East Coast of Africa. They settled in the Tengeru Camp in Tanganyka, Africa. She remained there until 1948 when they were provided passage to England. She met the love of her life, Krzysztof Kadziela, who predeceased her in 2000. They married and had three children. In 1966, they immigrated to the United States and settled in East Hartford. She worked for an optician for many years and also in the bindery department of The Travelers Insurance Company. Upon retirement, she and her husband travelled extensively throughout the world. Most special to both of them was their work with the Polish Scouting Organization (ZHP). She was a devout member of SS. Cyril & Methodius Church in Hartford where she served as a Eucharistic Minister and as a member of the Holy Rosary Society. She was awarded a special medal of honor for being one of the last survivors on the 75th anniversary of the Russian Holocaust. She was predeceased by two of her sisters, Miroslawa and Wieslawa. She is survived by her three children, Vic, Lucy, and Steve; her oldest sister, Alicja of London, England; three grandchildren, Aleksander, Christopher, and Stephanie; four great-grandchildren, Devin, Mariah, Tristan, and Maddox. Her family will receive friends on Tuesday, June 8, 9:30-10:30 a.m., at the Waszkelewicz South Green Memorial Home, 43 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, 11 a.m., at SS. Cyril & Methodius Church, Hartford. Burial will follow in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield. Memorial donations may be made to SS. Cyril & Methodius Church, 55 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106. For online condolences please visit, www.southgreenmemorialhome.com.