Often, while looking for obituaries, death notices, and funeral notices in the newspapers, I come up empty-handed . This wasn’t the case for my the newspaper records of my grandmother’s death, however.
My grandmother, Marianna Dziurzyńska Dańko, was born in Sielnica, Galicia, lived most of her life in Worcester, Massachusetts, and died in Albany, New York . Her funeral was held at Our Lady of Częstochowa Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she was buried next to my grandfather in Notre Dame Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts.
I remember grandmother’s death well . She died at 6:20 AM on Monday, September 8, 1969 . I remember waking up when my father came home from the hospital, and I heard him say “Mother passed away” . I cried and fell back asleep . A short time later, my mother came in to my room to wake me up and tell me that grandmother had died . I didn’t tell her that I already knew.
On the day of her death the following obituary appeared in the Albany Knickerbocker News:
Date: Monday, September 8, 1969
Section: Obituaries
Page: 20Mrs. Danko, 93, Native of Poland
Mrs. Michael Danko, a native of Poland who came to Albany in 1950, died today at St. Peter’s Hospital after a long illness . She was 93.
She was the former Mary Dzuizynski of Slevnica, Poland . She resided at 315 Colonie Street.
Survivors include three sons, Frank, Albany; Michal and Joseph, of Worcester, Mass., and five daughters, Mrs. John Petri; Mrs. Statia Iwaniec and Mrs. Clark Gibson, all of Albany; and Mrs. Oscar Yousophian and Mrs. Bertha McGinn, both of Worcester, Mass.
Funeral services are being arranged by Henrys Funeral Home of Worcester, Mass . Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, Mass.
The next day, the following obituary appeared in the Albany Times Union:
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 1969
Section: Death Notices
Page: 20DANKO – September 8, 1969, at St. Peter’s Hospital, Maryanna Danko of 12 Dan Avenue, wife of the late Michael Danko; mother of Michael J., Joseph, both of Worcester, Mass.; Francis of Albany; Mrs. Sophie Gibson, Mrs. Statia Iwaniec both of Albany; Mrs. Bertha McGinn, Mrs. Mary Yousophian both of Worcester; Mrs. Helen Petri of Albany and the late Jack Danko; also survived by 23 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Funeral from the Henry Funeral Home, 33 Ward Street, Worcester, Mass., Thursday morning at 8:15 and 8:30 at Our Lady of Czestochowa where a High Mass of Requiem will be celebrated . Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend and may call at the funeral home Wednesday . Interment Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester.
Before grandmother’s funeral, four more newspaper accounts of her death and funeral were published, this time in the Worcester Telegram.
Tomorrow: The newspaper accounts of grandmother’s death in the Worcester paper.
