Harasim, Józef Zbigniew 1948 - 2018
HARASIM, HARASIM-PIEPER, MILLER, BEDZIEJEWSKA
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 8/6/2018 at 18:36:58
Józef Zbigniew Harasim died peacefully surrounded by family in his home in Decorah on June 25, 2018. He was 70 years old.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, June 30, 2018 at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Decorah with Rev. Phillip Gibbs officiating. Burial will be in St. Benedict Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Friday, June 29 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, and on Saturday beginning at 8:00 a.m., one hour before the service, St. Benedict Catholic Church.
He is survived by his wife Teresa Harasim; his five children Monika (James) Harasim-Pieper of Kettering, OH, Wojtek (Jen) Harasim of Lakeville, MN, Anna (Darren) Miller of Ishpeming, MI, Ewa Harasim of Des Moines, IA, and Paul (Jenna) Harasim of Muscatine, IA; his three grandchildren Finn Harasim, Sofia Harasim, and Isaiah Miller; his sister Maria Będziejewska, and his beloved extended family in Brazil and Poland. He was preceded in death by his parents, Romualda and Czesław Harasim, and his brother, Jan Harasim.
Józef was born on January 8th, 1948 in Zamość, Poland. After completing his studies at Basic Vocational School at Military Automotive Works, he worked as a welder in a steel factory, sparking his involvement in workers' unions. He quickly established himself as a leader, fearlessly organizing multiple revolutionary groups that made up the Solidarity Movement (a democratic campaign against Communism) which led to his imprisonment for his noble political actions in 1981. The lives of Józef and his family continued to be threatened upon his release, so in 1983, Józef made the difficult decision to move himself and his family to the United States where they soon settled in Decorah as political refugees and were graciously sponsored by First Lutheran Church. He began work for Fred Carlson Co. where he continued as a heavy equipment operator for 28 years.
In his free time, Józef enjoyed coaching soccer, playing tennis, dancing polka, fishing, and being outdoors. Those who knew him will miss his sentimental stories of Poland, his endless hospitality, and his contagious charisma. Spending time with family filled him with pride, and most of all, he loved being Tata (Dad) to his children and Dziadzio (Grandpa) to his grandchildren.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
St. Benedict Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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