From the Mayor’s Office –
My Favorite Odd Fellow

From the Mayor’s Office
March 18, 2025
My Favorite Odd Fellow
John Woloszczak Jr.
November 3, 1947 – February 19, 2025

Warwick has lost a remarkable friend and champion with the passing of John Woloszczak Jr. Growing up in a small town has its benefits, one of the greatest being the closeness to those who make a lasting impact on our lives. John was one of those people. To have met him was to remember him. Unassuming, a regular guy, a neighbor—but there was so much more. What I reflect on most is John’s sense of life and humor. Behind the playful and funny exterior was a man deeply dedicated to his wife, his family, and his community.

My friendship with John began when I was a Jaycee. When I was starting out, he was moving on, but the imprint of service he left behind was legendary. His desire to make our community better was like the air he breathed. Always a team player, he was also a role model in everything he did—whether through the Jaycees, the Lions Club, the Polonaise Society, or in his leadership roles as Commander of American Legion Post 214, Director of the beloved Queen Village Queens, and his many positions within the Independent Order of Odd Fellows—including his most memorable role as director of the kazoo band! Helping others was how he strengthened his community. His years of service with the Warwick Community Ambulance Corps helped define the organization as it stands today. Whether in serious moments or lighthearted ones, he was always confident, approachable, and humble.

Our various roles often connected us, and I was personally grateful for his friendship. His unsolicited visits to Village Hall, always offering sound advice, remain in my memory as moments of wisdom and warmth. And then, of course, there was the band—the famous kazoo band—which became a highlight of our Village’s 150th anniversary parade. I’m certain the Mayoress of Warwick, England, will never forget it. His humor lifted us up, made us better people, and his service made Warwick a better place.

John lived a splendid life, leaving us with gifts we never imagined. We are grateful, dear friend, to have been part of it.