Justyna Lopato

Justyna Lopato was born in Wilno, Poland, on 15 May 1922. In February 1939, at the age of 17, she married Wladyslaw Szyszko, in Sokolka, Poland. In 1941, she gave birth to a daughter, Zenobia.

In June of 1941, the family was arrested by the Russians and exiled to a Siberian forced labour camp. Soon after their arrival, Germany turned on its ally, Russia. Stalin then quickly changed tactics and allied himself with the west so that the allies could help him defeat the Germans. This led to the signing of the Sikorski-Majewski agreement that called for the freeing of Poles imprisoned in POW camps and labour camps in the USSR, and the formation of a Polish Army in the southern USSR.

General Anders oversaw the army and tried hard to get the Russians to provide the food and equipment they had promised. When this became increasingly impossible, he negotiated the right to evacuate the army to Persia, where the British would provide what was needed. Anders insisted on taking as many of the civilians that had reached the army as possible. There were 2 mass evacuations: in March/April 1942, and in September 1942.

The evacuation took place by ship over the Caspian Sea to Pahlavi in Persia (now Iran). The ships that were used were oil tankers and coal ships, and other ships that were not equipped to handle passengers. They were filthy and lacked even the necessities, like water and latrines. The soldiers and civilians filled these ships to capacity for the 1-2-day trip.

Justyna and her family were evacuated to Persia in April 1942, and she gave birth to son Zygmunt there. Sadly, he died 10 months later. From 1943 to 1947 the family lived in Beirut, Lebanon, where she gave birth to Janusz in 1947.

After the war the family were moved to England. For the next 10 years, they lived at a Polish Hostel that was a former British Air Force Base. Their daughter, Barbara, was born there in 1948.

The family emigrated to the United States in 1958, settling in Detroit, Michigan, on the city's West side where the couple raised their children: Zenobia, Barbara, Janusz, and Stefan.

For many years Justyna was active in the local Veteran's Post (#78) and served for several years as President of the Ladies' Auxiliary.

After her husband's passing in 1990, she lived at her home in Detroit, moving to a senior apartment in 2011. She was proceeded in death by her beloved husband, Wladyslaw Franciszek Szyszko, and her son Zygmunt Szyszko.

Justyna Lopato-Szyszko passed away in Garden City, Michigan, on 8 April 2014 at the age of 91 years.