Obituary for Aleksander Masiewicz
Aleksander “Olek” Masiewicz, Chicago, aged 72, passed away on August 28, 2022. He is survived by
Maria, his loving and devoted wife for 41 years. Aleksander was a loving father to his daughter Natalia
and son Andrew (Lindsay) and cherished grandfather to his darling granddaughter Rilyn. One of 4
brothers, he is survived by Krzysztof (Hanna), as well as his beloved brothers-in-law Jan, Boleslaw
(Krystyna) and Tomasz (Krystyna). He is preceded in death by his devoted parents Julian and Janina.
Aleksander left Communist Poland and came to America as a young man on November 8th, 1979 via
Panam Air, with a guitar and $125 to his name. In pursuit of the American dream, he worked several
jobs to establish himself financially, to the point that for two years he barely even saw what Chicago
looked like during the day. He went on to invest in real estate throughout the city and was proud to be a
homeowner and investor.
When asked what he considered to be the foundation of the American dream, however, the answer had
nothing to do with real estate— he said that finding his wife and life partner was the most critical piece
in finding his happiness. When he first met his wife, Maria (Marylka), he said “it felt like he was looking
at a ray of sunshine”. He loved her musical soul, her love of animals and passion for the arts—but what
he especially loved was dancing with her. He said that “when they both felt the rhythm of the music, it
felt like they were flying”. They ran their own residential cleaning service together and were true
partners in life. From the moment he fell in love with her, he was certain that she was the only one for
him, and all he wanted was to spend all his days with her.
Together with his soulmate, he instilled the importance of family in his children by staying true to Polish
traditions, family dinners and unwavering support. He loved to cook for his family, whether it was
Sunday morning breakfast or an afternoon barbeque with his famous grilled chicken and kielbasa. There
was always music playing in the house. He loved playing old vinyls on the record player, and he’d often
pull up YouTube concerts of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Julio Iglesias and Engelbert
Humperdinck to name a few. On holidays, he would grab his guitar and sit next to his daughter on the
piano while the whole family joined in singing Christmas carols.
Aleksander left us unexpectedly, and we know that life will never be the same without him. We were
not ready to say goodbye. His faith in God, lively spirit, devotion to his family and friends, and original
dance moves will be missed by all who knew him.
Visitation on Thursday, September 8th, 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels 8300 W.
Lawrence Ave, Norridge, IL 60706. Funeral Friday, September 9th, friends and family are asked to gather at 10:45 a.m. for an 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Edmund Catholic Church 188 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Ravinia Music Festival in Aleksander’s name, 418
Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035, or https://www.ravinia.org/TributeGifts?ath=
For more information call Cumberland Chapels Funeral Home (708) 456-8300.
Maria, his loving and devoted wife for 41 years. Aleksander was a loving father to his daughter Natalia
and son Andrew (Lindsay) and cherished grandfather to his darling granddaughter Rilyn. One of 4
brothers, he is survived by Krzysztof (Hanna), as well as his beloved brothers-in-law Jan, Boleslaw
(Krystyna) and Tomasz (Krystyna). He is preceded in death by his devoted parents Julian and Janina.
Aleksander left Communist Poland and came to America as a young man on November 8th, 1979 via
Panam Air, with a guitar and $125 to his name. In pursuit of the American dream, he worked several
jobs to establish himself financially, to the point that for two years he barely even saw what Chicago
looked like during the day. He went on to invest in real estate throughout the city and was proud to be a
homeowner and investor.
When asked what he considered to be the foundation of the American dream, however, the answer had
nothing to do with real estate— he said that finding his wife and life partner was the most critical piece
in finding his happiness. When he first met his wife, Maria (Marylka), he said “it felt like he was looking
at a ray of sunshine”. He loved her musical soul, her love of animals and passion for the arts—but what
he especially loved was dancing with her. He said that “when they both felt the rhythm of the music, it
felt like they were flying”. They ran their own residential cleaning service together and were true
partners in life. From the moment he fell in love with her, he was certain that she was the only one for
him, and all he wanted was to spend all his days with her.
Together with his soulmate, he instilled the importance of family in his children by staying true to Polish
traditions, family dinners and unwavering support. He loved to cook for his family, whether it was
Sunday morning breakfast or an afternoon barbeque with his famous grilled chicken and kielbasa. There
was always music playing in the house. He loved playing old vinyls on the record player, and he’d often
pull up YouTube concerts of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Julio Iglesias and Engelbert
Humperdinck to name a few. On holidays, he would grab his guitar and sit next to his daughter on the
piano while the whole family joined in singing Christmas carols.
Aleksander left us unexpectedly, and we know that life will never be the same without him. We were
not ready to say goodbye. His faith in God, lively spirit, devotion to his family and friends, and original
dance moves will be missed by all who knew him.
Visitation on Thursday, September 8th, 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels 8300 W.
Lawrence Ave, Norridge, IL 60706. Funeral Friday, September 9th, friends and family are asked to gather at 10:45 a.m. for an 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Edmund Catholic Church 188 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Ravinia Music Festival in Aleksander’s name, 418
Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035, or https://www.ravinia.org/TributeGifts?ath=
For more information call Cumberland Chapels Funeral Home (708) 456-8300.