Obituary of George Wienckowski

Obituary George Michael Wienckowski

George "Jerzy" Michael Wienckowski, Sr, aged 79, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on April 2, 2024, at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital. 

He was born on Nov 7, 1944, in Unislaw, Poland, to Michael Wienckowski & Marta Janiszewska (who passed away when he was 3 months old), cared for by Polish relatives until he could travel to America, and later raised by his step-mother Janina Gosztowt (Jeannette Wienckowski) as her own son.  

George fell in love with Angela Cimmilluca of Long Island upon meeting her at a Fredonia State University orientation.  He pursued their relationship faithfully over the next few years and they married on August 5th, 1967 and had 3 loving children.

George’s determination, resourcefulness, sense of adventure, and wonderful personality supported his love of family and friends through multiple challenges, service in the Coast Guard, five careers and moves from Buffalo NY, to Massapequa and Selden NY (Long Island), Fort Lauderdale and Cape Coral FL, Chatsworth and finally Simi Valley CA largely in support of their children and parents.  

He is preceded in death by brother Richard (1940s, Poland), his father Michael (1996, FL), his son George, Jr (1994, FL), sisters Marie Susko (1990, NY) and Wendy Gerena (2014, CT), and niece Lindsay Gerena (2022, CT).

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Angela Wienckowski of Simi Valley, CA; sister, Christine and Jerry Hageman of Buffalo, NY; brother, Andy Wienckowski of Rock Island, TN; Son Jeffrey Wienckowski and wife Heidi of Northridge, CA; Daughter Jennifer Hebert of Canoga Park, CA; Grandchildren Audrey and Grace Hebert of Simi Valley, CA; and Beckett and Flora Wienckowski of Northridge, CA.

Nephew Jamie Hageman; Niece Sherrie Hageman; Nephew David Hageman; Niece Nancy Hageman; Nephew Jaiden Pitts; Nephew Mark Susko; Cousin Terenia (Jon) Pollock of Reseda, CA; Cousins Henry and Edward Wienckowski (TX, CT); Lorraine Stachowiak, Diane Drake and Cathy Licht (Weselowska, VA, NC);  2nd cousins Kristina and Michael Pollock, and many nieces and nephews on the east coast.

A viewing is scheduled for Friday, April 19th from 4-9 PM at the Rose Family Funeral Home, 4444 Cochran Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063 www.rosefamilyfuneralhome.com 

Funeral services with Military Honor Guard will take place the following Saturday, April 20th at 9 AM at the San Fernando Mission on 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345.

(go through the large wooden entrance to the Church across the courtyard)

A reception will follow at their home at 2706 Reflections Lane, Simi Valley, CA 93065. Please request gate code from the family. All are welcome to attend and celebrate George’s life. 

His final interment will take place on Monday, April 22nd at 1pm at Oakwood Memorial Park on 22601 Lassen St, Chatsworth CA, 91311.

George Wienckowski - Life Story

George’s mother died of TB when he was 3 months old. He had an older brother Richard, who had been run over when he hopped on the back of a truck carrying potatoes that the German soldiers had come to get. Although he never met him, George always felt as if his brother was by his side in spirit, helping him. His father and his 2 small daughters had to go to Germany to a work camp during WWII.  His father later met and married Jeanette Gostowt in the camps, and being a US citizen by birth, emigrated to Buffalo NY after being liberated by the allies.  George was left in Poland to be raised by his grandmother Katarzyna, his aunt Florentyna and his uncle until the age of 10.  

George was then given a picture of his family and was told that he would be flying to America by himself to be with them. The plane stopped in Copenhagen, where the pilot took him to Tivoli Gardens and then to the pilot’s home. The next day they flew to New York and subsequently on to Buffalo where he was to meet his sisters, new brother and mother, and his birth father. 

The pilot had given him a banana which he had never had, so he put it into his pocket and a Hershey bar which melted. When he pulled out the names of his family, the banana had mushed all over it but his “new” family happily found him. 

His father Michael, his two sisters Christine and Marie, his stepmom Janina Gosztowt (Jeanette), and his new little brother Andy received him joyfully. They drove home to Depew, New York and George said that the first thing his father did was take him to his Uncle Frank’s tailor shop in Buffalo NY, and had him measured for 2 suits. His cousin Henry taught him his first English words and he remembers George running up the block yelling, “lunch-box, lunch-box”.

George attended St. Casimir’s elementary school for a short time and then PS 69. He learned English very quickly, but he retained perfect Polish his entire life despite not using it. He graduated from Seneca Vocational High in Buffalo, NY in 1964 as an electrician. In his junior year he went to a college preview program at Fredonia State University NY for a week to see what college life was like. It was there that he met Angela Cimmilluca, from North Massapequa, NY who would eventually become the love of his life. 

At Fredonia, they took practice classes, had a lot of fun activities, and met a lot of friends. He said when he saw Angela in a skit, dressed as a cavegirl, with a bone in her long dark hair down to her waist, he fell in love. 

They all parted as friends and the group all promised to write to each other. George needed a ride back home, so Angela’s ride, Flavia and Donna’s mom offered to drive him. While Donna and Flavia were inside talking to George’s mom and sisters, Angela was out playing football with George and his friends. George and Angela wrote friendly letters to each other, and the others in the group. Angela decided to go to college locally on Long Island, and went to Molloy University to become a teacher. 

They wrote letters to each other as friends for over a year. They got to know each other even though George had a girlfriend and Angela a boyfriend. He broke up with his girlfriend when he joined the Coast Guard on Jan 12, 1965 shortly after graduation. After boot camp, he was stationed in Staten Island, New York. He got in touch with Angela and asked if he could see her. Little did she know that he had hitchhiked from Staten Island to North Massapequa, NY.  She also did not know that the first time he met her dad he told him, “I’m going to marry your daughter”. 

 She broke up with her boyfriend, who asked her to wait when he went into the Green Berets. George came out as often as he could and they wrote each other every day. He continued to hitchhike for a while and slept on a bench at the train station. She never knew until after they were married, that he scraped boats to earn extra money to take her out. He was stationed in the Great Lakes and also in Greenland where he called her ship to shore. 

They continued to write each other every day, and he asked her to marry him, after obtaining her dad’s permission. They had a two-year engagement, and he married Angela Cimmilluca, (North Massapequa, NY) just before she become a senior in college on August 5, 1967. George was honorably discharged on August 28, 1968 after his eyes were burned while changing a lightbulb on the top mast of the ship during a storm.  

The couple lived in Massapequa for 5 years, where Angela got a teaching job upon graduation at Massapequa Park Elementary. After his discharge George got a job as an electrician at Potter Electronics. He went to school evenings, while working, to get a degree in Criminal Justice.

They built their dream house in Selden, NY in 1972. It was supposed to be their “forever” home. George got into the Police Academy and joined the Suffolk County Police Department, a job he loved. He also did electrical work on the side because Angela had to stop teaching when their first child, Jennifer Lynn was born in August 1973. Their 2nd child, George Michael, Jr. was born in May 1975. Their third child was born in 1978 with a rare heart condition and would need open heart surgery when he grew stronger, at about a year old.

Unfortunately, George was forced to retire after 5 years from the job he loved at the Police Department, due to a scooter accident. During his 5 years on the PD they went camping a lot as he had a lot of time off. They loved going down south into the warmer weather. 

They decided on making a move to Florida and got the name of a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Miami. They drove down to Florida towing a large travel trailer with a Suburban, blew the transmission when they pulled into the campground where they planned on living until they could find a home. They met Irena and Tony there who were trying camping for the first time.  George flew back to NY to drive their other car back down. 

After George left, there was a severe tropical storm and he couldn’t get in touch with Angela and the 3 small children who were stranded there alone with no phone or electricity.  The husband of the couple they had met, Tony, managed to drive back through the severe storm despite major flooding to rescue Angela and her 3 small children. George got back safe with the other car and they became very good friends. 

After checking out schools, they decided to move to Cooper City, on the east coast, outside of Ft. Lauderdale. They drove down to the University of Miami, and walked in off the street to see Dr. Gelband, the name of the heart doctor they were given, without an appointment. They had no idea that he was world famous, yet he took the time to sit with them and discuss all their concerns and the risks with the surgery. It wasn’t a choice, it had to be done. They decided on Dr. Gelband right then and there. The surgery was successful. When George’s son was 7 he was asked to be the State Poster child for the American Heart Association, and Dr. Gelband, who was the head of the AHA at that time. They made a National commercial with him and his Grandfather who also had heart surgery.

They decided to relocate once more, because it was difficult for George to find work. He was 3 classes away from his Criminal Justice Degree, which he never got to finish once the children came along. They wanted to move to the Gulf Coast because crime was increasing and they wanted to be closer to George’s parents who had recently moved to Punta Gorda. 

They settled in Cape Coral, Fl and bought a house on a large piece of property on a lake that led out to the Gulf of Mexico. The house needed lot of work but George was very handy and they both had always wanted a house on the water. They had a jet ski and a boat sitting in their backyard, and could be out in the Gulf of Mexico in 10 min. They thought this was going to be their forever home. Angela was hired as a Kindergarten teacher at Gulf Elementary and George started his own successful detective agency, Scorpion Investigations. They had a very comfortable life in Cape Coral with a large community of friends. Their daughter, Jennifer Lynn, won a beauty pageant competition, and was Miss Cape Coral, 1993.  

 Their son George Jr. died tragically in April 1994. Shortly after, they decided to take a cross country trip, something George had always wanted to do. In California they connected with George’s cousin Terenia Pollock. Her mother was the aunt that had raised George in Poland (Terenia was not born yet at that time). It just so happened that his aunt Florentyna was in the US visiting Terenia from Poland at that time. They had not seen each other in 50 years. It was quite an incredible reunion.

When Jeffrey graduated from high school, he wanted to attend Columbia College in California. George and Angela were still grieving the loss of their son and had originally been told that Jeffrey would probably not makeit past 25. They had lost one child, and could not bear the possible loss of another 3,000 miles away. Once again, they picked up their lives, left their home unsold and moved out to California and bought a home in Chatsworth, where they built a new community of family and friends. Angela was able to secure a teaching job, and George began a new career working as the Head of Security at the Warner Center Marriott until retirement. He had an entire collection of unique and fun ties. When he worked at the Marriott he wore a different tie each day. 

In 2004 the family took a memorable trip to Bamberg, Germany and then Poland to visit George’s aunt and the family where he had been born and raised.  They also traveled to Italy where Angela’s family was from.

Angela took a fall at work and was forced to retire from the job she loved. She ended up joining the North Valley YMCA where she helped to start a “Red Hat Society”, which she was the “Queen” of for 10 years. Since George was not yet retired, she insisted that they take weekend trips with husbands, even though that was not the custom for the Red Hats. They took many wonderful trips all around Southern CA. They once again, made a very large circle of close friends.

In 2010, George and Angela welcomed their first grandchild Audrey Hebert, and in 2012, Grace Hebert, by their daughter Jennifer. Angela had to step down from her Red Hat role, as they fought for their grandchildren, who were illegally taken from their mother. Angela and George persistently fought the system for several years as they were illegally placed in foster care and almost adopted out to strangers.  In 2014, they welcomed grandson Beckett Wienckowski, and in 2017 granddaughter Flora Wienckowski, by their son Jeffrey and wife Heidi.

George and Angela have stepped in as grandparents and full-time legal guardians of Audrey and Grace, raising the two girls in their golden retirement for the past 7 years until his unexpected passing. They had been taking care of Angela’s dad, John Cimmilluca, who had a small stroke, so they decided to move to Simi Valley in order to give John a downstairs bedroom and for the safety of the girls.  John Cimmilluca passed peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends on September 1, 2021. 

George was one in a million. A great guy, who was kind, loving and friendly to all he met. He was funny and sweet. He was loved by many. He loved Star Wars and took the family to see it 8 times when it first came out. He was also a Trekkie and accumulated a large array of fun ties. Angela decided to bury George wearing one of his favorite Star Wars ties.

He was a wonderful father and grandfather. His wife of almost 57 years was his soulmate and cannot bear the thought of living without him. His granddaughters feel he replaced the father they did not have.

He will be treasured in the hearts of many, many people.  Especially us.