I had the pleasure of knowing Chet as boss, friend and mentor. He truly was one of a kind. My story is not unlike others, how his kindness was infectious, sternness with compassion and memories of laughter never fading. He is still missed, truly a one of kind man. A good man.
I enjoyed knowing Chet and being his Southern California golfing friend. We shared memories of him playing with me at my club, Brea Country Club and him inviting me to play Pebble Beach!! He was a great friend, co-worker, and many people who knew him will be grieving with you. May God bless you, praying for you during this time of trial.
Gary Jarrett, Jacksonville, Florida by way of Los Angeles.
Phil and I are pleased that we were able to visit with Chet & " Bigansky" in November. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Nydia & Phil
I used to run against (with) Chet back in the 70's in Schenectady. We had many many good races of which we both won a few. I will miss Chet and am so sorry for your loss. -- Mark Mindel
I am so saddened upon hearing the news that Chet has passed. Chet was an amazing person who truly cared for all. I met Chet at a place in my career when I needed someone to believe in me. The thing I will remember most is him ribbing me about my Minnesota roots by saying every time he could "Don't cha knooooow". You will be greatly missed in this world, my friend.
Brian Soderholm
Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.
This is the sweetest memory of my dad and I. The father daughter dance at my wedding January 7, 2012. I will miss him dearly
I was so sorry to hear of Chet's passing. I worked with Chet when he was at ELM Resources. He was a wonderful man, who was always kind and helpful. We also shared our love for New York State and I enjoyed talking to him about his time here. My deepest sympathies to your family!
Sharon Richardson
ELM Resources
Lockport, NY
1 file added to the tribute wall
I used to run with Chet, or behind him as did most runners, during the early 1980's at GE-Schenectady. I also worked with him prior to his assignment to the audit staff.
Chet was the key co-ordinatior and runner of our corporate race team that competed throughout the US in the 1980's.
He was a sincere, fun loving and respected worker, friend and runner.
My sincere regards to family and relatives
Chet was the captain of our cross country team at Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady when I was a freshman. He was a scrawny, tough as nails runner that never quit...never showed any pain. He was a real inspiration and a great leader on our team. I am not surprised that he was so successful. He obviously impacted a lot of people. Condolences to the family ...he is remembered by many people throughout the country
Thank you Larry for that memory. I did not know Chet in High School and the way you explained him, was the way he fought cancer. Tough as nails, never showed pain. He will be dearly missed by all of us.
While I have known Johnny (aka: Chet; Chester John III) all my life, it is obvious from the comments that have been posted that time and distance have precluded me from knowing... the man he became. I can fill in many of the blanks from a childhood long lost, but will truly regret not remaining in contact with and experiencing all of Chet.
Most of our childhood summers started the day after school let out with an anticipatory car ride to our summer of adventure in Weiss's Grove on Galway Lake, NY. While our parents continued to travel back and forth and work, our daily adventures would know no boundaries.
Obviously no summer at a lake would be complete without water adventures: fishing trips in a row boat that started way too early in the morning and typically ended with someone getting a hook embedded deeply in their hand or face requiring a trip to the hospital; building sail boats out of a plastic children's boat (too small for us), a broom handle for a mast, a bed sheet for a sail, and various other wooden components for rudders etc.; that first excited run down the dock (aged (rotted) over the winter) that more than once left Johnny with either slivers in his feet or a gash in his foot from an exposed rusty nail head requiring... you guessed it... a trip to the hospital; swimming; splash fights; goggles, snorkels, and flippers; and always... a great time swimming until our skin was shrivelled like a prune.
Our fun on the water was eclipsed by our land bound activities: the push-cart racing started with individual rides (consisting of a plank of pine, steel axils, abandoned buggy wheels found in the dump and a rope for steering) that were pushed around a very small track for as long as our "pusher" had the energy and ultimately ended with a fateful multi-passenger (5 of us) push-cart ride (built with an abandoned 8 foot wooden ladder, steel axils, abandoned buggy wheels and a rope for steering (NO BRAKES NOTED)) that started at the top of a large hill, on a road occupied by motorized vehicles, gaining speed all the way down, and ended with a very large tree bringing us to an immediate and painful stop; the Galway Football League (GFL) with plastic helmets and shoulder pads courtesy of K-Mart, lower padding created by stuffing as much newspaper into your pockets as you could, and games ultimately ending with sprained ankles and/or cuts requiring, as you may have already anticipated, a trip to the hospital; a lot of our time revolved around the general store where we could obtain our sugar fix, listen to music, play cards, and generally hang out; one bell... first call to get home for dinner... two bells got you a stern warning... but don't ever miss a whistle from Dom (my Dad) or there was hell to pay; field days were a time of gathering for the entire grove with the opportunity to enjoy friends, food, drink, and music (provided by Hut Barone or Vincent Ausfeld (both amazing accordian players)or later by more youthful bands attempting to imitate more current sounds); there were many other land bound adventures and memories that were etched into the very fabric of who we all were and what we would become.
Our truly blessed summer time youth often continued with every other Sunday dinners on a rotating schedule at Uncle Bucky's house, our house, or Babci & Dziadz's flat. Regardless of where the dinner was it always ended with the adults in a heated pinoccle match and the kids (Johnny, Joyce, Mary-jo, Kathy and myself) falling asleep while watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Sunday Night Movie." The food always very ethnic (mostly Polish) and truly amazing.
As time marched on college, girls, marriage, jobs and many other things took all of us in different directions. I had the opportunity to meet Johnny and Kathy for dinner several years ago and recall fondly reconnecting with the man he had become, only then realizing how much time had passed and how much I had missed. My heart was broken when Joyce passed away, an emotion I am once again experiencing with the passing of Chet. May God bless Kathy,
Thank you Mark for such a beautiful compilation of memories. You have filled in a lot of gaps amd rekindled memories of so many of his stories about Glawsy that I have forgotten.
Time and distance does not diminish love of your family .
Thank you Mark.
Love Kathy
Thank you so much Dennis. Kathy Bieganski
I had the pleasure of knowing Chet and having him as a boss, mentor and friend. He certainly made coming into the office easy. He truly cared about his employees and I admired how he treated everyone.
I will miss his weekly Wednesday, “Guess what day it is?!?!” routine……
I will miss his jokes and the playful hard time he would give me at every chance he got…..and believe me, I left myself wide open often…..
I will miss his monthly all-staff meeting funny stories….
I will miss playing golf with him and his occasional tips to help me improve my swing and overall game……
I will miss his endless stories, jokes and banter, his warmth and smile…….
Although our paths crossed relatively shortly, he really made a huge impact in my life.
It was an honor to know Chet and I will truly miss him dearly. Rest in Peace my friend.
Jose L. Najera
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.