SABINA LANIECKI

AUGUST 24, 1925 - MARCH 22, 2021

Three words can be used to describe Sabina's life: fighter, faithful, and family.

Sabina was born in Łódź, Poland.   When Poland was invaded, Sabina and her family lost their home and textile business and became one of the many Polish families displaced by World War II.   Devoted to her family, Sabina worked as a telephone operator to help her family survive.  She was a faithful fighter for her family.

After the war, a new life awaited Sabina in Philadelphia, PA.   Never forgetting her responsibilities to her family, she endeavored to provide for them.  Her first job was as a seamstress.  It is in Philadelphia she met and married Roman Laniecki.   Together, they built two successful businesses- a home renovation business and later, the first Polish restaurant in Philadelphia, "Sabina's" in Port Richmond.   During the forty plus years of marriage, family was first.  Sabina took care of her husband, mother, and assisted her three siblings in all ways.   Never having children, her many nieces and nephews became her children.  "Cocie" could always be sought out for love, words of advice, a good meal, and a "few pennies". She was a faithful fighter for her growing family.

Sabina's twilight years were not dull.   She volunteered in the tourist office of Philadelphia City Hall answering questions and greeting visitors to the city in the mornings offering suggestions of what to see and where to eat in the city of brotherly love. In the afternoons, she walked to Catholic Social Services to assist in the mail room and in the nursey as guardians were meeting with social workers.    Yet, she was never so busy, that she did not host family gatherings and support her family from her Center City apartment. She was a faithful fighter for her family, adopted city, and her Catholic faith.

Though Sabina was known for eating a healthy diet and exercising, walking miles daily, her body was overwhelmed by osteoporosis.  The last eight years of her life, she was a resident of St. John Neumann Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare.  First from her walker, then her wheelchair, and finally, her bed, Sabina bravely fought this crippling disease.  When family visited, she continued to advise, offer snacks, and wanted to share "the dimes" she won at bingo or the races.    She was a faithful fighter for life and family.

Though you will be deeply missed, Cocie Sabina, it is time for you to rest.   You have courageously fought your last battle and faithfully served God and your family.