Jendrzejczak’s life centered on family, country and faith By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History for 07-05-14 Vincent C. Jendrzejczak of Amsterdam, who died last month at age 89, wanted to be a doctor, according to his son George, “He liked science and working with people. There was not enough money to go to medical school.” Instead Jendrzejczak founded the funeral home that bears his name and lived a life that revolved around family, country and faith. His grandfather Lawrence Jendrzejczak came to Amsterdam from Poland in 1880. He was a carpenter who built homes on Jay Street and participated in construction of St. Stanislaus Church in the growing Polish neighborhood on Reid Hill. Lawrence’s son Vincent M. Jendrzejczak was a carpenter too but kept long hours delivering milk for Olbrych’s Dairy and bread for Wojnar’s Bakery. His son Vincent C. Jendrzejczak was introduced at an early age to the work ethic, getting up at 2:00 a.m. to help his father make deliveries by horse and wagon before going to school. Young Jendrzejczak enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, became an electrician’s mate and served aboard ships in the Atlantic and Pacific. He was wounded in combat. Late in life he was able to participate in an Honor Flight to the World War II Memorial in Washington. After the war Jendrzejczak worked at Mohawk Carpet Mills then attended school in New York City to learn the funeral director’s craft. He did his apprenticeship in Troy where he met Mary Walsh who became his wife in 1947 at a wedding at St. Patrick’s Church in that city. Her family operated the Van Rensselaer Inn, a Troy tavern. Vincent and Mary moved to the upstairs flat in the Jendrzejczak family residence at 47 Kreisel Terrace in Amsterdam. When Jendrzejczak’s Funeral Home opened in the parlor of the Kreisel Terrace dwelling in 1949, there were over 20 such establishments in the city. Jendrzejczak got a job at General Electric the next year, writing manuals for gas turbines and working on the original cruise missile. He continued in the funeral business part time. He sometimes did what was called trade work helping other funeral directors, a common practice then. He relocated the business to its current location at 200 Church Street in 1954. He left GE in 1958 to be a full time funeral director. His parents, wife and sons Vincent R. and George Jendrzejczak all have contributed time and effort to the family business. Jendrzejczak’s son George said of his father, “Once he made a commitment he was never distracted. He had a lot of physical and mental strength. He was very composed.” As did other funeral homes, Jendrzejczak’s operated an ambulance service before the inception of the Greater Amsterdam Volunteer Ambulance Corps in the 1960s. Jendrzejczak had a lifelong interest in civic life and was a member of the JFK Democratic Club, served as city water commissioner and county commissioner of elections. He ran unsuccessfully against Paul Parillo in a Democratic primary for mayor of Amsterdam in 1987. Jendrzejczak was an altar server at St. Stanislaus Church as a youth and worked on many church committees. He is survived by his wife, sons, numerous grandchildren and other relatives. Jendrzejczak was a golfer and sports fan, a season ticket holder to Syracuse University football. He enjoyed bowling and sponsored several teams. He met his friends every day at a local coffee shop. During his homily for Jendrzejczak, Reverend Robert DeMartinis of St. Stanislaus Church said the deceased was the last of the patriarchs of the age of independent funeral homes in Amsterdam. Other patriarchs included John G. Betz, Elliott Boice, Ignatius DiMezza, Chet and Roman Iwanski, Raymond Johnson, Louis Perillo, Peter Sargalis and others. ### The Bob Cudmore Morning Show—weekdays, 6-10 a.m. Lite 104.7 FM and 1570AM WVTL, listen on your computer at wvtlfm Ten years on WVTL, 2004-2014
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 20:42:19 +0000
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