Victoria Pietrusiak

Victoria Pietrusiak passed away on March 11, 2013 with daughter Irene at her side. Victoria had celebrated her 100th Birthday on November 13, 2012. Our Queen Victoria was the best Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother in the world. Victoria was born in Brzozow, Poland to Franciszek and Anna Pieta. She lived on a farm with her parents, brother, and three sisters. Her parents traveled back and forth to the U.S. and they made plans for the whole family to emigrate and become U.S. citizens. All of her siblings went to the U.S. and Victoria stayed behind to take of mother who became ill. She took her mother’s place as “lady of the house” and stayed on years after her Mother died. Victoria’s older sister Michalina asked “Teddy” Pietrusiak to look in on her sister as when he traveled to Poland. She hoped they would marry and come to live in America. That is what happened, they married in Poland and Victoria emigrated to the U.S. via ship in 1933 to New York City. They started their life with $0.50 in their pockets. She gave birth to her son Stanley about 5 months after her arrival in Manhattan. They had an apartment in the 70’s on the East Side, near Lenox Hill Hospital where all of her children were born. Her daughter Carol Ann was born a few years later and Irene the following year. The family moved to N.J. in and lived in what was called “Frog Hollow.” It was an area of factories and oil refineries and when she hung out the wash there were rust spots on the clothes. Eventually they bought a house in the “Polish section” of Elizabeth, NJ and were surrounded by all the ethnic people that immigrated from Ireland, Italy, and Germany and proved to be an interesting place to live. The children attended, St. Adalbert’s Parochial school and Victoria went to work at a factory sewing men’s leather jackets. She progressed to buying a dress shop, which she named “Victoria’s Dress Shop” which she operated that store for about 10 years before moving to Linden, N.J with her husband. A few years later her daughter, Irene asked her if she was ready for a new adventure and together they went to the New York School of Floral Design. Her daughter opened “The Four Seasons Florist” and Victoria became the top floral designer at the shop. A few years later her daughter Irene and her husband Don started another company, Foliage Plant Systems and asked Victoria if she were ready for a new adventure and as always Victoria was! She was the designer for the Floral and Christmas departments creating designs for commercial clients. Victoria was also involved with installations of plants and maintenance for accounts such as The Port of NY and NJ at The World Trade Center, RCA, McGraw Hill, IBM, Macy’s, and many shopping malls. At one point she and her husband were able to spend winters in Florida after the Christmas installations were completed. In 1985 Victoria’s husband, Tadeusz died and she moved to a condo in Mahwah. She continued to work and a few years later she and her sister Michalina moved to a house in HoHoKus, N.J. In 1994, Irene and Don asked the sisters if they were ready for another adventure and en-masse they moved to Carmel Valley, CA. Michalina died a short time thereafter. A few years later Irene, Don, and Victoria went on another adventure and moved to Santa Barbara. Victoria lived in Villa Santa Barbara and after breaking her hip moved to Samarkand, Smith Facility where she spent her last seven years. She attended most of the activities and thoroughly enjoyed the staff, nurses, and caregivers. The nickname Queen Victoria followed her on all of these adventures. She was a lovely regal lady. She was preceded in death by husband Tadeusz son, Stanley Pietrusiak, siblings, Louie Pieta, Mary Baron, Eleanor Wladyka and Michalina Lorentz and son-in-law Donald Mastick. She leaves behind loving daughters Irene Mastick and Carol Magierowski and husband Stanley Grandchildren: Stan Pietrusiak Jr. Dianne Freed and husband Doug Karen Jones and husband Don Nancy Policastro and husband Craig Ted Magierowski and wife Christine. Great Grandchildren: Jarrett Magierowski Scot Policastro A memorial service will be held on Friday March 15th at 10:30 A.M. at the Smith Facility Music Room. Donations in her memory may be made to: The Samarkand Benevolence Fund 2550 Treasure Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Victoria Pietrusiak

November 13, 1912 - March 11, 2013