Leonard Pawelski

Leonard H. Pawelski, Jr. 82, passed away on December 13, 2023.

Leonard (“Len”) was born to Leonard and Marguerite (Budney) Pawelski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 28, 1941.

On July 6, 1963, Leonard married Kathleen (“Kathy”) Pace.

Len and Kathy were married during Len’s leave from serving his country in the U.S. Air Force. He served from 1961-1965, stationed both at Westover Air Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts and near Athens, Greece. He was honorably discharged in 1965 and rejoined Kathy in Milwaukee.

Leonard earned an associate’s degree from UW-Milwaukee in Business Administration. After which he held various positions in import/export administration for various companies in the Milwaukee area.

Far more important than what he did to pay the bills, was the satisfaction he gained from building and creating—from his early days helping his father build houses in the Bay View and Town of Lake areas of Milwaukee to his lifelong love of music, fishing, and collecting. Len was a keen observer and lover of beauty in the world, a trait that led him to enthusiastically take up painting later in life.

He was a born entertainer. From an early age, playing the accordion, through playing piano in many bands well into his middle years, music was an endless joy, fascination and obsession for him. So much so that starting in 2011 through 2023, he could be found at Aurora West Allis Medical Center playing piano and collecting tips which he donated to the hospital. Over the years, he raised thousands of dollars for various charitable causes.

Len was equally enamored with the outdoors. An avid fisherman, he enjoyed countless hours out on Carrol Lake in the Minocqua area where the fish mostly succeeded in avoiding him. Another enduring obsession was stamp collecting. Once exiting the manufacturing sector, he worked at various stamp stores, valuing and buying and selling collections. He spent hours sifting for gold in endless piles of stamps, always on the treasure hunt for an elusive example in hopes of adding to one of his formidable personal collections. Later in life, he began painting, lining the walls of his and Kathy’s home with his latest creations—landscapes, city scenes, or abstract shapes, he would eye them from different sides of the room and excitedly share them with visitors.

After a blowout celebration for their 50th Anniversary in 2013, gathering friends and relatives from near and far, Len and Kathy celebrated their 60th Anniversary on July 6, 2023 as a close family affair with pizza at their favorite place.

One of the best parts about hanging out with Len and Kathy was to see how they cracked each other up over the silliest things. His distinctive laughter was contagious, and family gatherings were filled with lots of smiles.

Leonard is survived by his wife of 60 years, Kathy, who might be the only person to ever understand Len’s sense of humor. Together they created a fun-loving family and friend community across the decades. He is also survived by his two children: his daughter Cheryl (Audrey Bilger) Pawelski, and his son Glen (Sarah Peterson) Pawelski, of Madison, WI. He also leaves behind two grandsons, Loren Pawelski of Portland, OR, and Gilbert Pawelski of Madison, WI along with nieces, nephews, and many friends.

Leonard was preceded in death by his parents, infant son, Leonard, and his brother Dennis and sister Dianne (Karl) Horvat.

A Memorial Gathering will be held at the Bruskiewitz Funeral Home on Monday, January 8th, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM. Interment will follow at 1 PM at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Leonard’s honor can be made to the charity of your choice.

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