- Date Of Birth: September 29, 1922
- Date Of Death: April 13, 2021
- State: Colorado
Stanislawa Curly was born to Natalia and Schymon on September 29th, 1922 in the small town of Zelechow. At a young age, Stanislawa became the maternal figure for her sisters Genia and Marta after the death of their mother. She stepped in for her family without hesitation and embraced the new responsibilities of providing support to her father and sisters. She became very familiar with and welcomed hard work for the sake of friends and family which is a value she carried on throughout her life.
As a young adult, Stanislawa moved to Warszawa and began planning her future, knowing that she wanted to attend school for higher education. However, her plans were halted with the onset of WW II. It was a turbulent time which led to the upheaval of many lives, including Stanislawa’s. She was eventually detained by German soldiers who were intending to send her to Germany to be involuntarily placed in their work force. Thankfully, by the help of her father, she was freed, and was able to continue building up her life. Not long after the war ended, Stanislawa was introduced to the man she would eventually marry, Pawel Podlacha.
Together they had three children: Marisa, Janusz and Adam Podlacha. Much like when she was a child, her family became her everything. Stanislawa prided herself in making a home for her children while Pawel built up their businesses. Through hard work they were able to nurture and mature their own carpentry business – Pawel produced and Stanislawa sold. She eventually involved her children, instilling in them the same sense of pride for work, family and faith.
Faith was especially important to Stanislawa.
Stanislawa was eventually extended an invite to the United States from a friend of hers in 1972, and she accepted. After spending a few months there, she returned to Poland.
In 2017, Stanislawa moved back to Florida and lived with her son Adam and daughter-in-law Gosia for a short while before relocating to Colorado to live with her son Januzs and daughter-in-law Ewa. Well into her 90s, Stanislawa retained strength in form, mind, and spirit – never turning away from the opportunity to be outside under the blue skies of Colorado, walking with her grandkids and their family dog, Ada or dancing energetically and gracefully to music at parties. Her booming laughter was an easy indication of her presence the moment you stepped through the door. She stayed up to date on current events in Poland, always expressing how she would love to go back someday – her ties were strong to her past. She was also inadvertently appointed the Polish language teacher by her grandkids, Basia and Nikol as they practiced through the language barrier. One thing that was never in question was how proud she was of her family.
Stanislawa continued to show resilience throughout her life, even when her health began to decline toward the last year. Through cycles of sickness and health, she maintained a positive attitude, and determination to remain as self-sufficient as possible. Her desire to move and improve was a driving force for her, a goal to work towards to everyday.
May she rest in peace and know that her loved ones carry her memories and stories for generations to come.
