Polish Hall event organizer Zbigniew 'Ziggy' Wilinski dies at 74

Friends of Zbigniew "Ziggy" Wilinski — a longtime commander of the Riverhead Polish Hall and a driving force behind organizing the popular Polish Festival — remember him as a kind man with a big smile who loved his family and his community.

Wilinski died March 9 at Peconic Bay Medical Center of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 74.

Born June 21, 1946 in Germany, Wilinski's family immigrated to the United States, via Ellis Island, when he was a child. The eldest of three siblings, Wilinski was very into sports growing up and learned pride for his Polish heritage through his parents, Stanislaw and Aurelia Wilinski, said his sister Barbara Kolpak, of Speonk.

"When they spoke Polish in the house, we picked up on it. Ziggy could speak it and understand it very well," Kolpak said.

Wilinski graduated from both Riverhead High School, in 1964, and Suffolk County Community College. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service, before enlisting in the U.S. Army and serving in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1971. Upon his return, Wilinski returned to the USPS, eventually becoming Riverhead postmaster and a regional manager.

After he retired, Wilinski took part in what many most remember him for: The Riverhead Polish Hall.

Located in the heart of Riverhead’s Polish Town, the hall, incorporated in 1907, was where local Polish families gathered for christenings, weddings and funerals. The hall later hosted other community events, including fundraisers and election night parties.

Lisa A. Dabrowski, president of the hall's Ladies Auxiliary, said Ziggy was a key organizer of events there.

"Ziggy loved music, and loved all the performers, greeting them each with a big smile, and was always very welcoming. He will be missed by many," Dabrowski said.

Wilinski also coordinated the annual Polish Town Festival, which draws thousands of people every August. Thomas Najdzion, of Riverhead, a hall director and Wilinski's third cousin, said in spite of the responsibilities in planning the festival, Wilinski enthusiastically threw himself into it.

"It’s a big headache, but when it starts rolling, it gets exciting. He really synced in at that time of year. We always had a band at the Polish hall, and he loved the polkas," Najdzion said. Wilinski was "very in tune" with Riverhead’s Polish community, he said.

Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said her friend Wilinski was "an icon" whose loss left the community "heartbroken."

"Everyone loved him and knew him. He had a permanent smile on his face and he treated everyone respectfully. Polish Town will never be the same again," Aguiar said.

Wilinski is survived by his wife, Wanda Wilinski, of Riverhead; sister Barbara Kolpak; son Mark Wilinski, of Coldchester, Connecticut, and daughter Michelle Wilinski, of Aquebogue; brother Roman Wilinski, of Southold; and two grandchildren, Adam and Austin.

Services were held March 10 at St. Isadore’s Church in Riverhead, with internment at St. Isadore’s Cemetery.