Shrewsbury – John J. Tamulewicz, 97, a longtime Shrewsbury resident, passed away peacefully Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, with his devoted god daughter Jean and a hospice nurse by his side.
John was born in Worcester, a son of Joseph and Eva (Neban) Tamulewicz. He grew up in Worcester, and joined the U.S. Army two months after Pearl Harbor at the age of 24, serving his country proudly in Europe.
He notably earned Valor and a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle as a member of the first waves on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion, continuing with the invasion to Northern France and the Rineland and returning home in November 1945 a decorated veteran. He then accepted a position as a meat cutter for the former United Public Market in Worcester for 20 years, later performing the same job with the First National Supermarket Chain where he worked another 25 years before retiring in 1980.
John returned from the war, met and courted his sweetheart, Hedwig “Yadge” E. Bonder, marrying her Feb. 15, 1947. They moved to Shrewsbury and spent the next 60 years, in love before Yadge passed away April 19, 2007. John continued to live in Shrewsbury, moving to Longmeadow spending the last few years with wonderful care from Jean and the care professionals at the Julian J. Leavitt Family Jewish assisted and long-term care facility.
Not blessed with any children, John had many nieces and nephews, especially his godchild Jean Chisholm, her husband Stephen and their family, whom he considered his daughter. Besides his wife, John was predeceased by two brothers, Victor and Charles, and two sisters, Helen Snay and Anna Belcunis.
John was a member of Saint Anne’s Church, the Quaranta Post 397 American Legion in Shrewsbury, the Chapter #4, Disabled American Veterans Post in Worcester, and the Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union, serving as a past union steward and e-board member.
Friends and relatives are invited to visit with Jean and the family during calling hours Friday, Aug. 28, from 4-7 p.m., in the Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St., Worcester. His funeral will be held Saturday, Aug. 29 from the funeral home with a procession to St. Anne’s Church, 130 Boston Tpke., Shrewsbury, where his funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Military honors will follow in Notre Dame Cemetery, where he will be reunited with his love Hedwig in Notre Dame Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 or www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
