Obituary of Zenon P Szlyk M.D.

Dudley - Zenon P. Szlyk M.D., 92 of Dudley, MA passed away peacefully at St. Vincent's Hospital on Thursday, May 30th, 2019 with his loving family at his side. He joined his beloved wife of 60 years Florence Patricia Kingston in heaven on the same date of her passing six years ago. Dr. Szlyk was born on New Year's Day 1927 at home in Worcester, MA to Polish immigrants Antoinette (Nosel) Szlyk and John Szlyk. He was raised in Millbury and Worcester and graduated from North High School with first honors in 1944. At the age of 17 years he entered Harvard University and completed his first pre-med semester before being drafted into the U. S. Army. He served from January 1945 to October 1946. Upon completion of his military service, he headed back to Harvard and completed his Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry in 1949. He then obtained his medical degree at Georgetown University Medical School in 1953. Dr. Szlyk did his professional internship and residency in General Surgery at Worcester City Hospital where he was Chief Surgical Resident. He received professional certifications from the American Board of Surgery, and was also inducted as a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Surgeons. He had been an active member of the Worcester District Medical Society and the Massachusetts Medical Association for over 50 years until his death. He practiced general surgery for 31 years at Hubbard Regional Hospital where he served as Chief of Surgery. He retired from surgery in 1989 and continued his medical career as a physician with the Fallon Clinic until 1997. Upon full retirement, Dr. Szlyk has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Webster First Federal Credit Union where he had been a Board Member for 50 years, since the business' early development. He was a member of the Worcester Economics Club and the Harvard Club of Worcester. He also participated in community service as a civic leader. He was a member of the Dudley School Committee for 10 years. During his tenure, the committee was involved in the planning and construction of the Mason Road Elementary School and Shepherd Hill Regional High School. He also was involved in the Parish Council of St. Andrew Bobola Church. In 1960, he was a founder and first President of the philanthropic Quo Vadis Club and Trust of Webster-Dudley that continues its longstanding mission today of supporting excellence in education, through student scholarships and teacher recognition awards. Dr. Szlyk and his family proudly supported and contributed to Dudley's new Pearl L. Crawford Memorial Library. For several years he worked with the Pope John Paul II Foundation of New England and served for a time as its President. In that capacity, he and his wife had the distinguished honor to have met on two occasions with Pope John Paul II, and were also contributors to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC. For his efforts, Dr. Szlyk was presented with the distinguished National Pride of Polonia Award for service to the community and the Catholic Church. In his own words, his guiding principles have been: "Love of family and God, dedication to a strong work ethic, respect for and support of education as the primary means for children to advance economically and socially, and promotion of a close family bond that can be passed on to the next generations." He was married to the love of his life on June 10th, 1953 at the Lady Chapel of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Together they had six children. His first son Kenneth preceded him in death as an infant. He is survived by Virginia Conrad and her husband Dr. Michael Conrad, Steven Szlyk and his wife Cheryl, Joan Kubiak and her husband Robert, Dr. Janet Szlyk and her husband Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, and Laura Selipsky and her husband Adam. He and Florence enjoyed their 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Dr. Szlyk's family at Bartel Funeral in Dudley MA from 3 to 7 pm on Sunday, June 2nd. A funeral service will be held at St. Andrew Bobola Church in Dudley at 10 am on Monday, June 3rd, with burial to follow at St. John's Cemetery in Worcester. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Dr. Zenon Szlyk's memory be made to The Chicago Lighthouse that serves people who are blind, visually impaired, disabled and Veterans (The Chicago Lighthouse, 1850 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608).