Donna Loszewski

Donna (Zwierowicz) Loszewski, 95, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 4, 2021, at Methuen Village Assisted Living, Methuen, MA.  She spent most of her life in Lawrence, but she lived her later years with her daughter and son-in-law in Andover, MA. Donna was born in Dereczyn, Poland to the late Feliks and Emilia Zwierowicz.  Her early years were difficult after her mother died at childbirth when she was three years old, and then as a young teenager during WWII when her family was displaced from their home in Warsaw during the German occupation.  Her father decided to separate the family and flee in different directions with the hope that some would survive the war’s atrocities.  Donna went with her oldest sister and they crossed borders several times to escape capture. Some of her stories of survival were unimaginable.  After the war, her father placed an ad in several newspapers hoping his daughters would see it, which they did, and after more than five years they were finally reunited.
 
With perseverance and determination, Donna earned her nursing certificate from the D.P. Center Camp Bleidorn in Ansbach, Germany. Here she met her husband, John, who was in the Polish Cavalry during the war.  They were wed that same year in Ansbach and had their first child two years later. In 1950, two months before giving birth to her second child, they immigrated to the United States.  When filling out immigration paperwork, they were given a choice to live in New York City, Washington, DC, or Lawrence, MA.  They chose Lawrence. Based on their experience during WWII, they knew large cities were prime targets for bombings should another war ever break out.  Their journey to the US with one suitcase, a 3 year old child, and the clothes on their backs was a harrowing one when the four engine plane lost one of its engines mid-flight.  Miraculously it landed and they were welcomed into the home of a caring sponsor, an elder Polish woman who wanted to help a young couple in need. 

Donna’s first job in the United States was working at the mills in Lawrence.  She then worked for Western Electric in North Andover, MA as a gold plater in the crystal room before retiring after 27 years of service.  
She had many hobbies, but her favorites were gardening, sewing, and crocheting.  She made many beautiful afghans that her children and grandchildren will forever cherish. 

Donna is predeceased by her husband, John, who had Alzheimer’s and passed after nearly 56 years of marriage.  She used her nursing skills to care for him full-time at home for over ten years while John was ill and bedridden. She is also predeceased by her youngest granddaughter, Christine McNabb, who died in a tragic accident while attending college in Virginia.  

Donna is survived by her four children: Raymond Loszewski and his wife Joyce M. of Windham, NH; Alice Aufiero and her husband Richard (Dick) of Andover, MA; Richard Loszewski and his wife Joyce E. of Derry, NH; and Barbara Secen and her husband Gary of Manassas, VA.

She is also survived by eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren who called her Babci, the Polish word for grandmother. The grandchildren are: Robert Loszewski of Manchester, NH; Michael Aufiero and his wife DJ of Newtown Square, PA; Thomas Aufiero and his wife Katie of Chelmsford, MA; Kevin Aufiero and his wife Stacey of Andover, MA; David Loszewski and his wife Carrie of Nottingham, NH; Joseph Loszewski and his wife Kim of Candia, NH; Brian Loszewski and his wife Brittany of Candia, NH; and Laura Conklin and her husband Paul of Bristow, VA. 

Donna is also survived by her younger sister Alicia Maliszewski of Plaistow, NH.  She is predeceased by two older sisters and a brother who lived in Poland.  She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews, in the US and in Poland.

Donna’s children would like to thank Methuen Village and Care Dimensions Hospice for their unwavering commitment and compassion in caring for their mother. 

At the family’s request, all services will be private due to the current Covid-19 situation. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org, Care Dimensions Hospice, caredimensions.org, or a charity of one’s choice.