Stanislaw Walichnowski

Born on November 29, 1927, to Rozalia and Jozef in Skierniewice, Poland, Stanislaw and his siblings lived an adventurous home life prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. During the war, at the age of 16, Stanislaw was taken to Germany by the Nazis as a forced labourer.

After escaping to Italy, he joined the Polish 2nd Corps. After the war, he was transferred to England where he joined the Polish Resettlement Corps, from which he was later discharged.

In 1948, he met his future bride Helena Wojtas in Fairford, Gloucestershire. They married and had two sons Andrzej and Jurek, and in 1956 the family immigrated to Winnipeg to be near Helena's father and brother amid a thriving Polish community.

After a few jobs in the booming Winnipeg construction scene, Stanislaw was hired by the University of Manitoba Maintenance Department. He retired after over 30 years of service as a Locksmith.

Stanislaw was a member of the Polish Gymnastic Association "Sokol" for over 60 years, serving in many positions including President of the Organization. He was a member of the Polish Sokol Folk Ensemble for nearly 40 years. Stanislaw was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 246.

Stanislaw passed away in Winnipeg on June 1, 2019.