John Twardowski Obituary

John Joseph Twardowski, born June 16, 1924 passed away on October 12, 2008 at the age of 84 after a short and courageous battle with cancer. John and Poodie were born in St. Louis, Missouri and lived there and in Belleville, Illinois until October 2004 when they moved to Colorado Springs to be close to their children. John, a lithographer with Con P. Curran Printing retired in 1984. His parents, three brothers and two sisters preceded John in death. His son Matthew, forever young, also preceded him in death in 1976. John is survived by his wife Ethel (Poodie), with whom he celebrated a 65th wedding anniversary on September 25, 2008 and his son and daughter in law, Thomas and Marla Twardowski. He always referred to Marla as his daughter rather than his daughter in law. A brother, Henry Twardowski, of St Louis and many, many nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews survive him. He is also survived by Rosalie and Dan Gibbs, his grandchildren, Jessica and Johnnie Gibbs, and great grandchild, Taylor Green. He leaves behind his beloved dog George who will miss him dearly. John was a proud veteran of World War II and the embodiment of the Greatest Generation. John was a lifetime member of the Catholic War Veterans and a member of the local, Chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. He received numerous awards and metals for his service including the Victory Ribbon, American Theatre Ribbon and the European Ribbon with two Bronze Stars. He was an avid square and round dancer and served as an Officer in his dance club organizations. He was actively involved as a volunteer and participant in the activities of the local Senior Center. He was an avid boater, loved to fish and golf and was actively involved in his homeowners association and their activities. John was a gardener of the first magnitude known by his beautiful flowers but mostly for the gargantuan tomatoes he would raise, even in Colorado Springs. John's passion for life and extraordinary sense of humor will be greatly missed by all who knew him and he will never be forgotten. Visitation will be on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 from 4:00 pm till 7:00 pm at Evergreen Funeral Home, 1830 E. Fountain Blvd. A memorial service with full military honors will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 10:00 am at Evergreen Funeral Home Chapel, 1830 E. Fountain Blvd. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. The family is eternally grateful to Dr. Kosek and especially Dr. Stephen Telatnik and the Staff at Pikes Peak Hospice for their personal attention, compassion and palliative care. The physicians and the staff of hospice are indeed God's own angels on earth. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made in John's memory to the Pikes Peak Hospice Foundation, 825 E Pikes Peak Avenue, S600 CSCO 80903-3624.