Mieczyslaw J. Marcinkowski

Mieczyslaw (Matt) Marcinkowski of Pasadena, California, recently passed after a rich, long life -- another member of "The Greatest Generation" gone. Born in Poland in the 1920s, he and his family were evicted by the Nazis during WWII from their urban home and business to a rural farmhouse in Niebylec, a village at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains in southeast Poland. Situated between Krakow and Liev, this region was a stronghold of the Home Army - the Polish Underground - which Matt joined as a teen to assist Allied Forces in sabotaging Nazi efforts along the Polish/Ukrainian border.

At war's end, the Soviets established communism in Poland and quickly delivered retribution to Poles who worked with Western Allies. Matt then escaped to the American Free Zone in Berlin and subsequently to southern Italy where he spent a year at an officer's training camp for displaced underground army fighters under the command of General Wladyslaw Anders, part of Poland's Government in Exile in London.

After Officer's Training, Matt settled in London where he attended a two-year trade school and was soon employed as an office clerk. At a dance in Manchester, he met his future bride Elizabeth, a beautiful Irish lass. Matt immigrated to Los Angeles, soon joined by his fiancée. They married, became naturalized citizens and proudly exercised their right to vote, and achieved the American dream, settling in Pasadena, where they raised their 2 daughters, Wanda & Deirdre. Matt and Elizabeth quickly became involved in the local Irish and Polish communities and especially enjoyed ballroom dancing at those frequent gatherings.

In Los Angeles, Matt developed his artistic skill to become a journeyman billboard artist and was employed by Melvin Genser Outdoor Advertising, Ryan Outdoor and Gannett Outdoor during his long career. Matt was passionate about his craft. A highlight was being on the team that painted a massive "Young Frankenstein" movie poster on the Sunset Strip's Playboy building, the largest billboard ever to appear on the Sunset Strip.

Matt shared with his girls his love of the mountains, where they hiked and skied together; he also enjoyed bow hunting, travel, music and a good, cold beer. An avid reader of history and fluent in several languages, he wrote his war memoir Against Fate - Partisans to Wanderers 1939-1945, published by Polish University Rzeszowski in 2014 after receiving military honors in the late 1990s. Throughout his nearly 99 years, Matt maintained a high level of curiosity about people, the world and nature.

Preceded in death by his wife Elizabeth of 54 years, as well as all three brothers -- Henryk, Hilary, Pawel who remained in Poland -- Matt is survived by his two daughters, a son-in-law, 3 grandchildren and their spouses, and 6 great-grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews throughout Europe - all whom will greatly miss his joie de vivre.