If there was a Polish cause in Denver, Ed Zalewski was probably involved, in charge or had the idea for it.
Zalewski, who died March 16 at age 89, worked tirelessly for the Polish community – from raising scholarship money to establishing a 20-foot-tall monument to honor famous Poles.
“He was a visionary, and my mom stepped up and implemented his ideas. She was the writer and organizer,” said their daughter Chris Jones of Denver.
Though born in Pittsburgh, Zalewski was reared in Poland and “his heart was always in Poland,” Jones said.
Zalewski was determined to help immigrants with scholarships or anything else, said daughter Irene Matthews of Estes Park.
“He was grateful for everything and could never get used to the affluence of America. He stopped buying coffee when it became 25 cents a cup,” she said.
But his generosity for Polish people was boundless. He held every office, including president, of the Polish Club and bought two buildings in west Denver for the club. The members later sold those two to buy a bigger one, at 3121 W. Alameda Ave.
He and others worked for years to establish Pulaski Park on East Alameda Avenue, southeast of Cherry Creek Shopping Center.
The park, named for Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War general, became the site for a monument to famous Poles, including Pope John Paul II, Frederic Chopin, Marie Curie and Nicolaus Copernicus.
Zalewski, who had the idea for the monument, spearheaded the fundraising and then found the sculptor, Zbigniew Maleszewski, in Poland, brought him to Denver and housed him while he worked on the monument, which was dedicated July 4, 1976, Matthews said.
Edward Joseph Zalewski was born Nov. 27, 1916, in Pittsburgh. A few years later, he and his mother, Angelica Zalewski, and infant sister, Genia Zalewski, returned to Poland and lived there until 1939.
After serving in the Army Air Force as an aerial gunner, he was stationed at Buckley Field here. One day a couple gave him a ride into town. They were speaking Polish, which delighted him. They invited him to dinner. He met their daughter, Regina Ciborowski, who also delighted Zalewski.
But she was engaged to someone else. However, with his weekly visits to her home – always with chocolates – he won her over, and they married July 3, 1943.
Zalewski worked for 42 years as an accountant with the U.S. Post Office.
In addition to his daughters, he is survived by four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at vculver@denverpost.com or 303-820-1223.
