Albert J. Mazurek

Born on Feb. 1, 1942, in Dunkirk, N.Y., the son of the late Joseph and Anna (Bielat) Mazurek.

Albert was a devout Catholic who participated in weekly Mass, Communion, the Sacrament of Confession and Eucharistic Adoration. On Dec. 1, 2020, slightly more than one month before his passing, Albert was spiritually prepared to enter his eternal home, having received both the Sacrament of the Sick and Holy Communion at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo.

Albert attended St. Hedwig’s Catholic School and Cardinal Mindszenty High School. Once an employee of Morgan Linen Services company, he ended his career as a property caretaker and maintenance technician at Deer Run Park. A family-owned rental property with a large farmhouse, barn, mobile homes, and a fully operational Holstein cattle farm, it was located on Berry Road in Fredonia.

Throughout his adult life, Albert was an avid Bills fan, NASCAR race enthusiast, dog owner and deer hunter. Each year, at the crack of dawn on opening day of deer season, Albert, his brother, and several of their uncles could be found at a friend’s property in Sherman, N.Y. An annual tradition, this hunting excursion brought much camaraderie and joy to the group of gentlemen as they harvested deer and shared a few tall tales. The Mazurek and Bielat families continue to enjoy these stores to this very day.

Albert loved the holidays, particularly the Polish Wigilia at Christmas and the blessing of baskets during the Easter Triduum. Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July were met with excitement, as his large family of aunts, uncles, and cousins always gathered together. The pyrotechnic display at a certain family member’s home was a highlight of nearly every Independence Day gathering.

Albert is survived by his brother, Kenneth Mazurek of Dunkirk and a large extended family. He will be remembered by his sincere and heartwarming smile, genuine kindness, and deep faith.

A Roman Catholic Mass in celebration and remembrance of Albert’s life will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Dunkirk, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at 2 p.m.

Entombment will follow at St. Hedwig’s Cemetery. Arrangements are by the McGraw-Kowal Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Albert’s memory be made to the Bielat Family Scholarship Fund through Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, 212 Lake Shore Drive West, Dunkirk NY 14048. The fund annually awards scholarships to elementary students enrolled in Catholic School, and to a graduating Dunkirk High School Senior in good standing during their freshman year at a Catholic college.

Memorials may also be made to Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care, 20 W. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood, NY 14750.

The family of the late Albert Mazurek is profoundly grateful and ever thankful for the abundant blessings of dignity, respect, and daily communication offered by Hospice to him and his family members during the final stage of this humble man’s existence on earth.

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” ~ St. Mother Teresa