Obituary of Chester Gdanski

Gdanski, Dr Chester John DDS. FAGD (Ches/Chet) Grief is the price we pay for love. And so, in his 86th year, with profound sorrow, we endure the loss of a wonderful husband, father and grandfather; cherished son and brother. Born in Hamilton in 1933 to Barbara and Stephen Gdanski; they were hard working Polish immigrants who instilled in Chester a work ethic that would define his life. Chester recently told his middle daughter Andrea that he knew he wanted to be a dentist very early on. He had a rather “rough” visit to a dentist and thought “I can do a better job than that.” and he never looked back. Chester graduated from University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry in 1957. He was a lifetime member of the Ontario Dental Association and the Niagara Dental Association. In 1982 he earned a Fellowship of the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr Gdanski will be fondly remembered for his highly skilled, gentle approach to dentistry for the people of Grimsby and surrounding areas. He was highly regarded by the many families he served for the 35 years he practiced his profession. There were many saddened families in the area when Chester retired in 1992. Chester served for eleven years on the board of directors of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. He was part of the committee that raised community funds to build the Grimsby Community Center. He raised funds for Brock University. He raised funds for the current building of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. Ches’ love of his life is Dorothy (Andrusiw). They shared a 60 year marriage. Dorothy will miss the kind and gentle way he carried himself through life and his strength and unconditional love he showered her with daily. They just celebrated Valentine’s Day together and Steven said they were “carrying on like a couple of love struck teens. ”Now, that is love! We all must learn from this kind of endearing love that is forever. Even Death cannot divide it! Chester’s proudest accomplishment in life are his five children: Steven (Jo-Anne) of Grimsby and Mississauga, Susan Fraser (Graham) of Penticton, BC, Andrea Sheehan (Kevin) of Barrie, Christopher (Jackie) of Regina,Sask. and Pamela Haines (Vince)of Toronto. He has 13 beautiful, healthy grandchildren that truly know of the depths of his love for each and every one of them. His grandchildren: Ryann, Matthew, Emily, Lucas, Andrew, Carson, Eryn, Logan, Sydney, Spencer, Landon, Aedan and Madison will miss his gentle, loving nature and the way he made them feel so very special and loved every time they talked to him. “Papa Ches”, as he was lovingly referred, took his entire family of 25 on a Caribbean cruise 10 years ago to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. This is yet another example of the selfless, generous nature he showered on his family and friends throughout his long life. Ches also leaves behind his loving sister Stella (Paul) Rupert of Sudbury and brother Joe (Jean) Gdanski of St.Catharines who will miss him dearly. Ches never left his family roots and continued to farm in the Niagara region during and after his dentistry career. He truly poured his heart and soul into his vineyards. He continued to nurture his green thumb in the gardens at his home at 265 Ridge Road East where he and Dorothy resided for the past 53 years. In Chester's spare time during his younger years he was a Eucharistic minister at the Old Parish of St Joseph’s. Ches enjoyed curling, golf and being with family and friends. He and Dorothy are founding, lifetime members at Twenty Valley Golf Club. His favorite pastime was being in his beautiful backyard, surrounded by family and friends. Ches was a dedicated founding member of the YMCA, Grimsby. Ches had a unique way of making everyone he met feel special and treated everyone with attention and respect. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, March 2 at 11:00am, 135 Livingston Avenue, Grimsby (905-945-2661). The community is invited to a Celebration of Life at the Grimsby Town Hall on Saturday, March 2, from 1 - 3 pm. 160 Livingston Avenue, Grimsby. L3M 4G3. Eulogy is scheduled for 2pm. No flowers please. Donations are welcomed in Chester’s memory to McNally Hospice House in Grimsby. This was the oasis that allowed our family the best transition possible. Alternatively, donations to Grimsby YMCA are encouraged. Please visit www.pjdartefh.ca for more information. “Thank you kindly.” CJG