WESTFIELD – It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Helen J. (Dolly) Morawiec (1932-2022) of Westfield, MA who passed away on July 26, 2022, at the age of 89.
She leaves her children Mark Morawiec and his wife Donna Leard of Erie, CO, Chris Reid and her husband Robert of Pensacola, FL, Diane Pellegrini and her husband Jason of Austin, TX, and four grandchildren, Wesley and Shelby (Morawiec) Robin and Cecelia and Sophie Pellegrini.
Helen was born and raised in Westfield, MA where she spent 84 years of her life. She was the daughter of Walter “Red” and Helen Osowski and was the only girl in a family of three brothers. She was a graduate of Westfield High School class of 1950. She worked at Landau’s home goods store on Elm St. out of high school. When her father didn’t like the attention she was getting while walking to work, he bought her a new 1950’s Chevy Impala in green to drive. It made her feel really special, and she was happy to share it with her brothers. Not long after she became a Medical Transcriber at Western Massachusetts Hospital. She was self-taught, loved her work and excelled at it. She married Edwin W. “Vinny” Morawiec in 1955. After having her children, she worked as a Kindergarten Teacher Aide at Franklin Avenue Elementary School, and was a secretary for its Parent-Teachers Association in 1970. She loved working with children and being a mother. In 1974, the family moved next to Stanley Park. Helen went back to work as a Medical Transcriber for Noble Hospital in 1981 where she was very well respected and often requested by physicians for her transcription skills. She retired in 1995. Her only regret was not going to college but she said, “It really didn’t matter in the end because I wouldn’t have changed a thing.” She was a member of the Westfield Women’s Club where she had many friends. Helen was also an active member of St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church. She moved from her hometown for the first time at the age of 84 to Pensacola, FL to be near her daughter Chris. She survived her husband of 65 years. She had a dear friend in Dan Shock who was very supportive to her in her last months. She loved poetry and enjoyed cooking Polish food for the family. Her biggest joy was being a mother. She was selfless, often putting the feelings of others before her own. She had a great sense of humor and was liked by everyone who knew her. She was always game and had a zest for life, right up to the end.
This poem was kept in her desk for decades; she referred to it as her favorite:
To Judge –
Who am I to judge you.
Or tell you that you are wrong?
Has my life been so perfect?
Have I never done a wrong?
Who am I to judge you.
Or tell you what to do?
Have I always done what I was told,
and always followed through?
No, I will never judge you.
Though others may forget.
That everyone has faults of their own.
And life is not over yet.
~Mary C. Anderson, Springfield, MA
In Stanley Park of Westfield, MA, there will be a Memorial Bench overlooking the Rose Garden and a Memorial Tree in the Arboretum in the names of Edwin and Helen Morawiec for all to enjoy.
To read the full obituary with photos and to send condolences, please visit https://memorials.watersandhibbert.com/helen-morawiec/4994040/index
