David M. Chmielewski

PAWTUCKET - David M. Chmielewski, 89, a longtime Pawtucket resident and more recently of Narragansett, passed away at home, Monday August 10th. He was the beloved husband of Marie (Zonfrillo) Chmielewski.

Born in Pawtucket, he was a son of the late Stanley and Victoria Chmielewski. David and Marie just celebrated 60 years of marriage this past year. His devotion and dedication to his wife, family, friends was exemplary.

David was a tremendously strong man, he was a very big union supporter throughout his whole life. He was hard working and tenacious and would help no matter what the situation.

He was educated in the Pawtucket public schools and graduated from Pawtucket East, now Tolman High School in 1949. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Suffolk University. He also completed two years of Law School at Suffolk University. He served honorably in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict.

Mr. Chmielewski was a journalist for the Pawtucket Times for 29 years and had served as President of the Pawtucket Newspaper Guild from 1971-1975.

He was very involved and committed to public education, serving 4 terms on the Pawtucket School Committee, and is credited with many accomplishments during his tenure. He was an advocate for high school student liaison representatives to the school committee, headed the school committee move to establish a truancy court in Pawtucket, was instrumental in the proposed development of a new practice soccer field and physical education area for Potter-Burns and Goff Junior High Schools, supported construction of the addition at Fallon School as well as renovations to Shea and Tolman High Schools, was active with scholarship fund-raising events and development of a school band program in cooperation with the Pawtucket Education Foundation, and was a member of the Goff Junior High School Community School planning team that was funded by a United way Grant.

Mr. Chmielewski was appointed by Mayor Doyle to the Pawtucket Planning Commission, which he proudly served for 5 years. He also was elected to the 1985 RI Constitutional Convention and served as chairman of the Public Information Committee and was a candidate for delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a member of the Democratic State Committee.

He enjoyed the time he spent with his family by going camping and traveling to Europe in the late 1970's. Mr. Chmielewski was very proud of his Polish heritage and served as the editor for the book "The Polish in Rhode Island, A Proud Legacy".

Besides his wife he is survived by a son Stephen Chmielewski and his fiancée Kate Brown of Attleboro, MA; a daughter Susan M. Plante and her husband Christopher of Lincoln; four grandchild- ren, Matthew and Madeline Chmielewski, and Allison and Ryan Plante; and a brother Dr. Chester Chmielewski and his wife Barbara Rowe of Long Boat Key, FL. He was the father of the late Michael D. Chmielewski, who passed away in 2019.

David will be sorely missed by all those he has touched.

Funeral services will be private and burial with military honors will take place in the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery. His family kindly asks that memorial donations be made to VNA Care New England, 51 Health Lane, Warwick, RI 02886. For guest book and condolences, averystortifuneralhome.com.