Joseph (“Joe”) Laskowski died peacefully at his home as he had wished. Joe lived a full inquisitive life filled with family, gardening, “projects”, reading and classical music. The son of Polish immigrants, Joe honored his heritage through food and family celebrations. Married in 1951 to Margaret Schwoyer, he explored life together with his life partner for 65 years until she died in 2016. Joe believed strongly in America and its values. He was a WW II veteran who served in Italy. His postwar travel in Europe left him with a great appreciation of the world outside his home and led to a lifetime of local travel.
Joe worked as a draftsman/designer and then the supervisor of outside contractors for a chemical company for over 40 years. His skills at the drafting table were reflected in the beauty of his penmanship. His engineering and mechanical skills supported his endless list of home improvement projects.
Joe and Margaret’s four children learned the value of love expressed in the small activities of daily life. They also learned the importance of effort and the joy of exploring life. Joe and Margaret loved to travel by car and drove to visit parks, museums, and mansions throughout the East Coast—initially with the family and in later years often accompanied by Margaret’s sister Loretta and her husband Jim.
Joe leaves his family a rich legacy. It is one difficult to express in words, but is keenly felt in the unique memories of his children and his grandchildren. His smile will always glow from their memories. His sense of humor will resonate in the recollections of his laugh. Hints of his presence will appear in the gestures of his children. His great grandchildren will hear stories of great grandpa as they continue to develop the family’s traditions.

Joe’s children, Bob, Warren, Tom and Peggy, their spouses Kathy, Sue and Ray, and Joe’s grandchildren and their families ask that you reflect on your memories of Joe and that you use those memories to celebrate the joys of your own life.

Due to the COVID pandemic, funeral services will be private and limited to the immediate family. The family will plan a future celebration of the lives of both Joe and Margaret.
The family asks those who wish to honor Joe’s memory with a contribution to consider donating to: Catholic Charities ( https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/) or Catholic Relief Services (https://support.crs.org/)