Although we all have unique stories and memories of my grandmother, Irene Kasnicki, they are all tied around a common theme.  You may think of her compassion, her selflessness, her unwavering devotion to her faith, her endless grace.  Or maybe you just simply think of her and immediately picture that big smile.    One thing is for certain- she loved unconditionally.   Throughout her life, this love has been challenged time and time again by unspeakable tragedy and unthinkable calamity, but it never wavered.  Her legacy needs to be remembered and shared. 

Irene Kasnicki was born on August 17, 1930 in a small town called Naliboki, Poland.   Although early on she had a typical childhood for a farm girl, this childhood was quickly cut short by the Nazi Germany invasion of Poland in 1939. Poles were suddenly forced to live under Nazi rule, and any deviation of this submission would be punishable by death.  Out of this reign of terror and brutality, the seeds for love and compassion were planted.   Her parents, my great-grandparents, knowing very well the risks, hid a local Jewish friend in their attic.  They sheltered him, clothed him, fed him, and kept him safe.  They did this for 2 years.  When news broke of Nazi soldiers searching local houses, their friend fled to protect them, but he drowned in a nearby river during his escape.

On August 8, 1943, Nazi soldiers forced her family to leave Naliboki for deportation to Germany.  They were given a ½ hour notice to pack.  Any heavy baggage had to be left behind.  They used their own wagons and horses for transport to the town of Stolpce.  Their livestock came with them.  As they left, the soldiers burned down their home.  

The partisans in the area, in an attempt to block German entry into Poland, had previously cut support beams to the bridges enroute to Stolpce.  As a result, many wagons fell in the rivers as the bridges collapsed and many drowned.

Her whole family consisting of her father, mother, grandmother, great-aunt, two sisters, and one brother finally arrived very late in Stolpce after many detours.  They were told to sleep in the fields.  They continued to Bialystock for processing to Germany.  Physical examinations were given to all.  Any person with a handicap, mental disability, or sickness was held back and never seen again.

They boarded the railroad cattle cars for Germany.  Whatever possessions they still carried had to be left behind.  The eight day journey was harrowing.  Cars were packed with people and many died en route.  There was no nourishment except what was brought by the people themselves.  A bucket was used for bathroom purposes.

On arrival in Germany, they were brought to a camp Rem Platz, Oldenburg, for selection by the different farm owners for work.  Her older sister, Veronica, who was sixteen, was taken to a factory owner’s Swissland as housekeeper.  The rest of the family was taken to Westerstedde.  They lived in a barn with 75 other people.  My great-grandparents worked on the railroad tracks, clearing the bombed rubble and digging ditches.  

Shortly after, the rest of the family was split up, transported to work in the fields in various locations.  In 1944, a German farm owner named Jurgens Myta took my grandmother and great-grandmother to work at a labor camp in Petefelt, Weserstedde in Oldenburg.  My grandmother, only 13 years old, helped in the fields and completed any tasks she was told to do.  They remained there until the war ended in 1945.

On May 8, 1945, the whole family was reunited in Oldenburg at a refugee camp.  It is there that my grandmother met my grandfather, Joseph Kasnicki.  In 1947 they got married at the camp and in 1948 they had their first son, Teddy.  In 1949, she had her second son Stanley.  Out of all this love came an unimaginable loss.  When Stanley was 5 months old, he died from yellow fever in the camp.  My grandmother suffered the most unspeakable tragedy of all, losing a young child.

In January 1950, my grandparents and father boarded the SS New York ship to America.  The ship was crowded and many passengers were ill.  They endured powerful storms.   During this trip, my grandmother prayed continuously to Jesus and told him she would devote her life to the church if they could safely complete the journey.

Upon arrival to New York, they settled in Hempstead and my grandmother became a parishoner of St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Church.  In 1951, her third son Peter Kasnicki was born.   She eventually became President of the St. Ladislaus Rosary Society in 1962, leading parishoners in devotional prayers and charitable work for the next six decades. She became a respected and well-known member of the Polish-American community.

In 1986, my grandmother suffered another tragic loss- her husband passed of cancer.  My grandmother became a widow at 56 years old.   She was heartbroken.

Nevertheless, she persisted the only way she knew how.  She carried on with grace and her unconditional love only strengthened.  Her devotion to her faith deepened.  Her commitment to her family enriched.  Her passion to help other community members was bolstered.  She watched her two sons and seven grandchildren grow up to become successful and proud of their heritage.  She saw her grandchildren get married and have children of their own; ten great grandchildren altogether.  She showed us all how to live with dignity and humility but most of all, she showed us how to love unconditionally no matter what comes our way.

We all love you and you will be forever in our hearts.

Irene's life will be celebrated on Sunday, May 2, 2021 with a mass at St. Ladislaus Roman Catholic Church.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that Irene's memory be honored by donations to the church.  Checks can be mailed to: