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Chester Rog, 1924-2013

The American Council for Polish Culture mourns his passing.

From: Camille Kopielski

Everyone I speak with is saddened to hear of Chester Rog's passing.
Members who may wish to express condolences may send them to:

Paul Rog
1213 Monroe St. N.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55413
tel: (612) 379-9485

Many thanks.


Chester Rog Obituary

Date of Birth: Friday, February 15th, 1924
Date of Death: Wednesday, September 25th, 2013

Funeral Home:
Kozlak-Radulovich Funeral Chapels
kozlakradulovich.com
1918 University Ave. NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 5418

Obituary:

Chester Rog, age 89 of NE Minneapolis. The only child of Ignacy and Magdalena passed away September 25, 2013. Chester (Czeslaw) is preceded in death by wife, Helen and daughter, Mary. He is survived by sons, John, Peter (Jenny) and Paul; son-in-law, Mitchell (Sherry) Pearson; grandchildren, Andrew, Luke, Janelle, Cassandra, Emily, and Phillip. A lifelong resident of NE Minneapolis, he was a one-man promoter of Polish culture in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

A graduate of Edison High School, he attended the U of M and graduated in 1949 on the GI Bill. A proud WWII Vet, he served in the European Theater and was transferred to London when the US Army discovered the young corporal medic was fluent in Polish. He translated for the flow of Polish pilots, officers and civilians who fled to England to help fight the war. His lifelong community involvement started in PTA during the Sixties. He organized many fund raising carnivals at the old Webster School on Monroe Street -- to the delight of hundreds of children. He ran for School Board and lost. With the election of a Polish Pope in 1978, he decided the Polish-American community needed a monthly newsletter. So, in 1979 he started the MN POL-AM NEWSLETTER with himself as editor. After the crackdown in Poland 1981 (Martial Law) he opened a parcel service which shipped packages to people's relatives in Poland. Then, after a second severe heart attack in 1982, he retired from the IRS. He earnestly began to teach Polish language and culture in the Minneapolis Community Ed. evening classes. He was one of the co-founders of the Polish American Cultural Institute of MN (PACIM).

In the 1990s his activities earned him the WCCO Good Neighbor Awards. In the late nineties he began attending the national conventions of the American Council of Polish Culture (ACPC), a confederation of Polish Cultural clubs from across the country. In 2003 they awarded him for his outstanding service to Polonia in promoting Polish culture. For four decades he tirelessly helped Polish immigrants find jobs and lodging in the Twin Cities. He notarized hundreds of invitations which brought citizens together with their relatives in Poland. He also assisted them with health, immigration and social welfare problems. In the 1990s when immigration reform opened up a "Polish Lottery" for US citizenship, he aided hundreds in getting their paperwork and applications to the proper federal address.

In addition, he found time to travel to Poland almost 30 times between 1967 - 2001. In May of this year he was deeply honored to receive a Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Award, the Steven Murray Award from the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; Honoring his influence, life-long devotion and excitement to promote and preserve Polish Heritage and culture in Northeast Minneapolis and around the Twin Cities.

His final days were spent at home in hospice care surrounded by the loving hearts of his family, finally succumbing to CHF. Visitation at KOZLAK-RADULOVICH CHAPEL (1918 University Av. NE) Monday 5 - 8 PM with Vigil Prayers at 7:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 AM Tuesday at SACRED HEART OF JESUS POLISH NATIONAL CATHOLIC CHURCH (22nd Av. NE & 5th St. Minneapolis, MN) with visitation one hour prior. Interment Sacred Heart Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Sacred Heart Parish Cemetery Fund.