Thomas Fred Osypian

THOMAS FRED OSYPIAN
June 14, 1922 – August 21, 2015

SAINT CLOUD, FL – Thomas “T.O.” Fred Osypian (Tomasz Osipianc) died peacefully at the age of 93, with family by his side on August 21, 2015, in Saint Cloud, Florida.

Thomas was born on June 14, 1922, to Ludwika (Depa) Osipianc and Ferdynand Osipianc and was given the name Tomasz. At the age of seven, along with his mother and sister, he left their village of Swilcza, Poland, to board the SS Estonia at the Baltic Sea Port in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), to join his father who preceded them to the US. They arrived at Ellis Island on May 27, 1929, and began their lives in Niagara Falls, NY, where Thomas resided until he moved to Florida in 2007.

When Thomas was in his late teens (1939), he joined the Civilian Conservation Corp and spent time in California working on public forests, state and federal parks. After approximately a year, he returned home and worked at Kimberly Clark Co in Niagara Falls, NY, from May 1941 – June 1942, and then joined the US Navy that same June. He honorably served in the United States Navy for three and a half years as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate in San Diego, CA, and Seattle, WA, and was stationed in New Caledonia near the end of World War II. Thomas began working for EI Dupont De Nemours in Niagara Falls, NY, in September 1947, and retired as a supervisor in April 1981.

On September 6, 1948, he married Mary E. Rzucidlo in Niagara Falls, NY, and together they had four children. He and his family spent many weekends at his camp in Angelica, NY, where countless, wonderful memories were made fishing in the Genessee River and up at the ponds, swimming and building dams down at the creek, and playing cards in the evenings.

He is survived by his children, Kathryn L. (late Anthony) LaRosa of Lewiston, NY, Suzanne “Nancy” (Charles) Schwartz of Amherst, NY, Thomas F. (Christine) Osypian of Saint Cloud, Florida, Kim (Bruce) Klementowski of Boston, NY, and his brother, Alfred (late Shirley) Osypian of Niagara Falls, NY. He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary E. Osypian (Rzucidlo) of Niagara Falls, NY, his sister Sophia H. (late Chester) Jaworski of Blasdell, NY, and his half-brother Stanley L. (late Nancy) Kinaszewic of Niagara Falls, NY.

The family would appreciate any donations made in his honor to Samaritan Care Hospice of Florida or a Hospice facility of your choice.