Jerzy (George): A Biography

Jerzy (George) Juźwiak was born in Zwierzyniec , Poland on July 1st 1920 and died on March 30th, 1993.  He was the son of Piotr Juźwiak and Lidia Jewłanow. He had a younger brother, Edward Juźwiak (1921-2013).

Early Years and Teens

Like his brother Edward, he spent his childhood in Zwierzyniec but completed middle school in Zamość, where he joined the Polish Scouting Organization.

While Edward went to do his secondary studies in the Gdynia Maritime School  after his mother’s death, Jerzy stayed in Zamość with his father.  The last time Jerzy saw his brother before the war was on Edward’s short summer break in August 1939 before embarking on the Dar Pomorza never to return to his family home again.

World War II

Poland

Little is known about what happened to Jerzy between September 1939 and September 1944. From the scarce family narratives, he became a member of the Polish resistance and went to Warsaw when the war started. Among his papers there are documents that show he was in Warsaw during the Warsaw Uprising. There is a translation from Polish, German and English into French of a “Carte de Membre de l’Union Polonaise des Anciens Prisonniers Politiques des Prisons et Camps de Concentration Allemands” (n. 1491) delivered in Lubeck on December 13th 1946.  In addition to his place, date of birth and signature of authorities, the document mentions he was detained by German authorities on September 1st 1944 in Warsaw, taken to the Pruszków transit camp , deported to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and liberated in Schwerin on May 3rd 1945, which means he must have taken part and survived the death march.  There is also a translation from English and German into French of  a “Laissez-Passer”, emitted in Paris on December 6th 1947, which confirms Georges Juzwiak, trader, of Polish nationality, was liberated by the Allied Forces from the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp (n. 95123).

After the War

France – Paris

It was in the concentration camp that he met his wife-to-be, Jadwiga (Yada) Bassalik Gudacz (1912-1994). She used to teach at a school when the German troops invaded Warsaw and she was taken to the camp. After the liberation,  Jadwiga started rewriting Polish school books which had been burned by the Germans and George ran the printing press. Jadwiga’s older sister, who was married and living in France, helped them relocate to Paris, where Jerzy studied chemistry at the Sorbonne. For some years, his brother Edward, who was then already living in Brazil, would send him coffee so that he could sell it to make ends meet.

Canada

Jerzy and Yada decided to emigrate to Canada and Jerzy completed his studies at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. In 1951 the couple moved to Smithers, a town in British Columbia between Prince Rupert and Port Alice. Later they lived in Vancouver, where they got married on January 4th 1956.

 Later Years

In 1960 Jerzy accepted the position of director of laboratory at the Alaska Pulp Corp mill in Sitka, Alaska, from where he retired in 1982. On that same year, in June, before moving to Alaska, he met his brother Edward, who had come on a trip to New York from Brazil with his family. They had not seen each other since that summer break in 1939. They all traveled together to Montreal.

The Juzwiaks enjoyed Sitka and quickly became part of the local community. They always owned a boat, first a small one, the Pussycat I, then the After II and finally, the Kim II. After his retirement, Jerzy bought a permit and started fishing commercially. His wife loved boating, beachcombing and the beautiful scenery around Sitka. She was very interested in Native American art, the motives of which she transposed to ceramics. She was skilled in painting, drawing, beading eggs and gardening.

In 1970 Mr and Mrs Juzwiak became American citizens. That year, they also hosted their niece, Barbara (Basia) from Brazil, who had come to spend the month of July with them at the end of her exchange program in the US.  From then onwards, the Brazilian family, Edward and Hanna would visit them regularly. Their sons, Mark, Jorge and Edward spent 6 months in Sitka, where they also attended high school.  and in 1987 Barbara’s 11-year son, Jean Marc, spent the summer there. In 1988 the couple came to Brazil to visit the family.

Sources

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates of Jerzy Juzwiak and Jadwiga Bassalik (Gudacz)

Carte de Membre de l’Union Polonaise des Anciens Prisonniers Politiques des Prisons et Camps de Concentration Allemands” (n. 1491)

Laissez-Passer –  Paris, December 6th 1947

Memorial Service Set for George and Yada Juzwiak. (Tuesday, February 8, 1994). Daily Sitka Sentinel, p. 4. Sitka, Alaska