Marian Jan Gorecki

Marian (Mark) Jan Gorecki died peacefully at home on April 7, 2024 after a short illness. Mark, a beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather lived a life full of love, laughter, and cherished memories. 

He was born in Poland on October 25, 1933 and was the youngest of of four children, he was seven years old and ready to start the first grade when Germany invaded Poland and the first bombs started to fall ending his happy childhood. The next five years were marked by constant fear and trauma. During the war he was not allowed to attend school and was secretly home schooled by his mother and older sister. 

After the war, Mark graduated from high school and then the university of Warsaw with a degree in Polish literature and history. He was a beloved high school teacher for many years. His dedication, hard work, and integrity earned him the respect of his students and colleagues alike. He was a very gifted lecturer and a great story teller with an amazing memory for facts and dates. 

Mark married his beloved wife Wanda in 1957, and they settled in the suburbs of Warsaw, he as a teacher and she as a pediatrician. They struggled together in the vastly destroyed post war, communist ruled country to make a happy and successful life together with their daughter, Margaret. He particularly loved month long summer camping trips to various eastern European countries. He also enjoyed going to the theater and playing chess and bridge with his friends. 

Mark and his wife and daughter immigrated to the USA in 1979. The first few years as an immigrant were difficult as he was starting a new career as a sonogram technician and his wife was beginning to practice medicine again. Life slowly got easier and they moved to a new house in the Mendham township in New Jersey where they lived surrounded by woods and nature. Most importantly he loved living close to his three beloved grandchildren. He was very involved in their lives, taking them to various afterschool activities and spring break trips to Hilton Head, Florida and Arizona. 

Mark was always an avid reader, particularly of history. He was very interested in politics and was always up to date with the current and international events. He and his wife shared a passion for opera. For twenty years they has season tickets to the Metropolitan Opera in NYC and enjoyed the performances by the world's most famous opera singers. They both loved to travel. Each year they traveled to different European country. Later in life they enjoyed spending winters in their Florida house on Merrit Island. 

Mark is predeceased by his wife Wanda, his three older siblings and his son-in-law, Ronald. He is survived by his daughter, Margaret Petersen, grandchildren (Dominica, Conrad, and Camille), great-grandchildren (John, Jacob, and Charlotte) and his nieces and nephew and their families in Poland. 

He will be deeply missed by all those that knew him. 

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00am at Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Crofton, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Doctors without borders.