Zdzislaw S. Gabryszewski

Zdzisław Stanisław Gabryszewski, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother passed away peacefully Monday, June 23, at home, surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was 78 years old.

Zdzisław was born in Łąkie, Poland, and served with distinction in the Polish military. In the years that followed, he embraced a variety of roles where he was highly respected and admired.

He immigrated to the United States in 1972 at the age of 26 and settled in Irvington, New Jersey, where he met his beloved wife, JoAnn (née Rusnak). The couple eventually made their home in Bridgewater, where together they achieved the American dream — building a life filled with love and laughter, raising a family grounded in faith, and ultimately celebrated 51 beautiful years of marriage.

Zdzisław was a provider and protector in every sense of the words. He enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a Superintendent for West Virginia Paint & Tank at the Bayway Refinery in Linden, where he was admired for his beaming personality, strong work ethic, self‑discipline, and genuine kindness. He was always ready to lend a hand, no matter the situation. As a leader, he earned countless accolades for an impeccable safety record, built a legendary reputation as one of the hardest‑working and most essential teams in the plant, and developed a leak‑repair system that saved the refinery from countless emergencies — a method still used to this day.

Through a mix of tough love, respect, fierce devotion, generosity, and humor, he shaped the people around him — from his employees and colleagues to his own family and children. His standards were high, but so too was his respect for everyone he met, regardless of their position, age, or background.

He loved his family above all else, but he also embraced life and its many joys. He delighted in music — especially playing his saxophone — as well as dancing, traveling, bike rides, walks, and hunting trips. He was wise and curious, a keen observer of the world around him, and a passionate debater of the day’s politics.

Zdzisław was an extraordinarily generous person — to strangers and family alike — and dedicated himself to helping others, including many of his own family, build new lives in this country. His heart was immense, and his smile was truly infectious. If you spent more than ten minutes in his presence, you couldn’t help but be charmed, even as you felt inspired and challenged. He was, down to his bones, one of a kind — a man who loomed large in the lives of everyone who knew him.

He was predeceased by his parents, Antoni and Czesława Gabryszewski, his brother Jan Gabryszewski, and his cherished son, John Anthony “Tony” Gabryszewski.

He is survived by his devoted wife, JoAnn (Rusnak) Gabryszewski; loving children, Stanley Gabryszewski and his wife Justyna, Teresa Gabryszewski and her husband Kevin Caldwell, and Daniel Gabryszewski and his wife Diana; and his cherished grandchildren, Natalia, Julia, Anthony, Michael, Victoria, Ava, Mason, Gabriella, Catalina, and one grandchild on the way. He is also survived by his siblings, Jozef Gabryszewski, Krystyna Strzelecki, Stanisław Gabryszewski, Adam Gabryszewski, and Jadzia Heidi Kopala, as well as the mother of his three grandchildren, Katarzyna Leake, and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, God children and friends.

Zdzisław’s legacy of love, strength, and joy will live on in all who were blessed to know him. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ALS United in Zdzisław’s memory, honoring his brave battle with this disease and helping to support others affected by ALS. Link Below: https://secure.als-ny.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1500&mfc_pref=T&1500.donation=form1

Services to honor Zdzislaw’s life including a visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 1st from 4pm to 8pm at Branchburg Funeral Home at 910 US Highway 202 S Branchburg. A funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, July 2nd, at 10:00am at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church at 500 US HWY 22, Bridgewater. Interment will follow at Our Lady Of Czestochowa Cemetery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania