Frank A. Stachecki
Frank A. Stachecki, a lifelong resident of Southampton, died at Southampton Hospital on Friday, October 21, after battling lymphoma for two years. He was 85.
Mr. Stachecki was born on March 30, 1926, in Southampton. The eighth of nine children of Jozefa and Waclaw Stachecki, he grew up and worked on his parents’ farm in Southampton. He graduated from Southampton High School in 1944. In high school he played football and ran track, holding a long-standing record for the mile.
In 1945 Mr. Stachecki enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey, serving with the Finance Office Separation Center 1262nd Area Service Unit, where he audited and typed pay vouchers. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to Southampton and continued to work on his parents’ farm, eventually taking over the farm with his brother, Joseph. They grew potatoes until the early 1980s, when he and his brother formed and operated a landscaping business until he retired.
Mr. Stachecki was an active member of Our Lady of Poland Church in Southampton. For many years he served as commander of the Polish Legion of American Veterans and was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council in 1967.
He was a family man, always putting his family first before himself, and was always available to give advice and lend a helping hand when needed. He had a strong faith in God and his Catholic faith and was a true patriot, said survivors. Affectionately known as “Dziadzi,” to his grandchildren, he was proud of his Polish heritage. He was a great polka dancer and taught his children and granddaughters how to do the traditional Polish dance.
He was proud of his farming heritage and instilled the love of farming in his children. He taught them how to grow and preserve vegetables and fruits and grew and maintained a family garden, in which he grew blueberries, vegetables and flowers, up until the summer of 2009.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Bertha; children, Loretta and her husband Terence Lynch of Southampton, Kathryn and her husband John Boutcher of Southampton, and Frank of Southampton; siblings, Martha Siedlecki of Southampton, Anelia Kobylenski of Riverhead, Joseph of Florida; two granddaughters, Shannon and Kerri-Ann Boutcher of Southampton; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his siblings, Stanley, Chester, Walter and Floryan, and Helen Grzybowski.
Visitation and a prayer service were held on Monday, October 24, at O’Connell Funeral Home in Southampton. There was a funeral service on Tuesday, October 25, at Our Lady of Poland Church in Southampton, followed by interment at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Cemetery in Southampton.
on Oct 25, 2011