Ryszarda (Gajda) Warot

WAROT, Ryszarda (Gajda) of Dorchester, died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on May 18, 2020.

Beloved wife of Zdzislaw Andy Warot of 43 years.

Loving mother to Celina Warot, Sylvia Warot Roszkowski, and Gregory Warot.

Devoted "Babcia" to Olivia and Emilia.

Sister of the late Pawel Gajda and of Darlina Walkowiak and her husband Tadeusz Walkowiak, and their daughter Agnieszka Walkowiak.

A private committal service and interment will be held in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester for Roman Catholic burial. We will invite all to attend a Memorial Mass which will be held on a future date.

Ryszarda was born in Zabice, Poland and moved to Wroclaw to pursue her Master's in Engineering Degree at Wroclaw Polytechnic University. After graduating, Ryszarda worked as a well-respected and recognized project foreman overseeing the construction of many roads and utility installations in Wroclaw. Ryszarda was always proud to share that she was one of the only women working in the construction field at the time. All who know her, know she was never afraid of hard work and overcoming challenges. In 1976, Ryszarda met Zdzislaw (Andy) while visiting her aunt Anne Blaszkow in Rhode Island. When she returned to Poland, Ryszarda sent Andy a "Thank You" card for taking her to visit Boston for the Bicentennial Celebration and invitation to the banquet with the crew of the Polish Tall Ship, Dar Pomorze to which he replied….

Ryszarda and Andy were married in 1978 at St. Stanislaw Kostka Church in Woonsocket, RI. They settled in Dorchester and started their family there. Ryszarda only wanted to live in the city after being raised and working hard in the fields of Zabice. Ryszarda worked as a Sanitary Engineer at Maguire Group for several years. After their children were born, Ryszarda continued her education at Curry College to receive a degree in Chemistry. With the change in career, Ryszarda started working for the MWRA at the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant taking on additional education and certifications while raising her family until she retired in 2018. She always boasted that Boston has the best drinking water!

Ryszarda was well known and respected throughout the Polish American community and remained an active member of many organizations, never able to sit still, always rolling up her sleeves and getting involved. Ryszarda was a dedicated parishioner of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, in South Boston belonging to several of the parish's organizations. She and Andy instilled the importance of Catholic Faith and Polish traditions in their children and grandchildren. She was a member of the "Korpus Pomocniczy Pan" of the Polish Army Veterans. She was actively involved with the Polish Scouting Organization (ZHP) and the children's Polish Saturday School. She was an avid supporter of the Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston, which her children belong to, and became a member of their singing group with several stage appearances.

Ryszarda was a very dedicated and loving wife, mother, Babcia, sister, aunt and friend to everyone. She greeted everyone with open arms and lively conversation with something funny or sarcastic to say. She enjoyed reading literature on health and nutrition and would often tell doctors, "I know more then you do, they don't teach you this in school" and then go on to lecture them. She would advocate for prevention and the importance of nutrition and natural remedies. Her involvement with Reliv and the friendships that were created through it helped keep her healthy and strong to continue her fight with Breast Cancer.

Ryszarda was initially diagnosed in 2009 and battled her way to remission. In 2017 the breast cancer returned and she continued to fight courageously. Her strength and resilience never allowed the disease to define her. She did not want anyone to worry for her. When Ryszarda was asked "How are you doing," she always replied "Great As Always" with a big smile.

Ryszarda felt best when she was manually working outside and keeping busy in the garden. Her passion was construction, especially observing the progress of home improvements; making friends with the contractors, and always making sure the workers are doing the job correctly and not wasting any materials although she was not associated to any of the projects.

Ryszarda was a dedicated and caring wife and mother, always giving her husband and children more than she had, being the first one up in the mornings, and turning out the lights, but never with enough time in the day or before midnight! She made sure her children always did well in school and encouraged a successful career path. Ryszarda was always proud and gloated of her children and their accomplishments.

Ryszarda loved her granddaughters, Olivia and Emilka, dearly, constantly thinking about them, encouraging, teaching, and always there for them; showing them what it means to be strong. She taught the girls the importance of faith and maintaining their Polish heritage. She made sure to attend as many of their life activities and events as possible, making the 3 hour drive to Connecticut even same day no matter how she physically felt. She would not miss any of their performances with the Polish dance group, visiting them at ZHP Kolonia, school performances, events, and milestones. Ryszarda loved watching the home concerts, plays, and shows that the girls would put on. Yearly tent camping trips to Cape Cod continued to be a family tradition; the girls would look forward to this the entire year. Her face would light up when she saw them and would never let them leave empty handed or hungry, especially without their apples!
Ryszarda was a very loving sister and aunt. She had an extremely close relationship with her sister Darlina, and they stood by each other's side and supported each other through everything that life has thrown at them. Ryszarda was always proud of her niece and Goddaughter, Agnieszka, who was like a daughter to her.

Ryszarda always put everyone and their needs before her own. She thought about everyone in the family and always gave selflessly, regularly sending packages to distant family members and to those in need in Poland and Ukraine. She kept in touch with all our family making phone calls during holidays and sharing family events. She enjoyed phone conversations and could spend hours speaking with family and friends. Ryszarda enjoyed attending her university reunions "Zjazd Absolwentow" in Poland with Andy and maintained friendships with many of her classmates not allowing the distance to hinder their relationships. She always had an open door at home and loved entertaining guests and would never let anyone leave without eating. Ryszarda loved walks through the neighborhood and spontaneous gatherings with friends and neighbors on the front porch enjoying their company and the fresh air.

Ryszarda is "The Best" as her husband Andy says. She is an amazing woman with a heart of pure love. Ryszarda is the strongest, most selfless, hardest working, resilient, tough, and most caring woman we know. Her family's well-being was always her top priority. She has left an impression on everyone she met and would only want for everyone to remember her in your prayers, continue living on with the advice she gave to you, and instill her virtues and grit in your daily life. There are no words to express how much we love and will miss Ryszarda, we can only strive to live on with her strength and guidance.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Ryszarda Warot to Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (South Boston, MA), Saint Michael the Archangel Parish (Bridgeport, CT), or Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish (Houston, TX) with the intention for donations to be used to promote Religious and Polish Cultural events at the parishes.

We are sure Ryszarda would also love for all to plant something in their garden in her memory.

Please feel free to share some of your fondest memories with Ryszarda and upload any pictures you may have.