Stanislaw (Stan) Matejczuk

Stanislaw (Stan) Matejczuk was born in Wroclaw, Poland on April 26, 1958. He was the first child to Leokadia and Wieslaw Matejczuk.

He was passionate about his education and his studies in history, and graduated from a Catholic University in Lublin, Poland, where St. Pope John Paul II was one of the professors. There, he had also met several of his closest of friends, many of whom he still kept close until his last days. Amongst other influential mentors at the University, he had the honor of meeting Bishop of Poland and now Blesses Stefan Wyszynski. While he attended the University of Lublin, Poland, he became a member of an independent student organization which disturbed an underground press and educated students about true freedom and independent thought and actions. This group also emphasized the freedom of religion, and democracy. In 1982, he was arrested by the Communist government and pronounced a threat against the communist state. He experienced severe hardship, and endured the most extreme physical and mental torture for the following five years in the communist prison. Thankfully, with the aid of the European International Amnesty, the petitions from President Ronald Reagan of the United States and Prime minister Margaret Thatcher of England, he was one of the last released political prisoners in Poland.

As soon as he was released, he married his long time sweetheart, Iwona, in January of 1987, who had waited for his release all of those years. His first daughter, Anna, was born later that year. In 1990 Stanislaw received political asylum from the US to begin a new life. With the help of friends who had through this process become like family, he was able to bring his family from Poland to live in England for one year during this transition. He then brought his family to Brooklyn, New York, where he worked for a Polish historical institute. In 1995, he brought his family to Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where his second daughter, Monica, was born in 1996. He began a Hewlett Packard business focused on computer and printing technology with the help of his great friend, Michael Romero, from 2003 until 2021.

Stanislaw was always very proud and grateful to have himself and his family become citizens of the United States and enjoyed the freedom which that provided. Even though his was a patriotic American citizen, his heart was always with his homeland, Poland. He enjoyed traveling back and visiting as often as he was able. In October of 2018, the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, awarded Stanislaw with the Commander Cross of Polonia Restituta medal, which is the second highest civilian award for his patriotism and suffering for Poland in 1980’s. At this same time, he also received a secondary medal for anti-communist resistance and Polish Independence.

He was not without fault, but up to the end, he was a devoted husband, loving friend, and father. He leaves behind his wife, Iwona Matejczuk; daughters, Anna (34) and Monica (25). He had suffered from health problems since 2006, but his final battle with aggressive lung cancer combined with pneumonia took its toll on December 28, 2021.

Staszek will always be our family hero. We will miss him always, as will his remaining family back in Poland. His sister, Ewa Regala, her children, Agnieszka and Mateusz, cousins, Ela and Malgosia, his parents-in-law, Janina and Leszek Jankowski, his sister-in-law, Mariolka and Darek Zygier, nephews, Lukasz and Michal, and all of the following relatives from the Matejczuk, Jankowski, Zygier, Redo, Jalgos, Walezak and Tomasik families. May he rest in peace.

Services will be held on January 20th, 2022 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1502 Sara Rd. SR, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. A rosary will be held at 1:00 pm, followed by the funeral service at 1:30 pm. A burial will follow at Vista Verde Memorial Park, 4310 Sara Rd. SE Rio Rancho, NM 87124.