Mr. Kazimierz "Kaz" Pioro, 88, of Elkhart, Indiana, passed away peacefully of natural causes on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, within the familiar and peaceful confines of his own home in the presence of his beloved wife, Deborah. Kaz was born on January 12, 1936 in Starachowice, Poland to the late Wladek and Zofia (Popiel) Pioro and later married Deborah L. Perry on June 4, 1993 in Maine. She survives at home, but fully intends to return to Maine in the near future to enjoy precious memories from years past with Kaz.

Along with Deborah, Kaz is survived by his son, Daniel (Heidi) Varle of Porter, Maine; his sister Stacia Soldatich of Queens, New York; grandchildren Nathan Varle of Saco, Maine, Trevor Bougault of Porter, Maine and Randy Irish of Randolph, Maine. Kaz is also survived by a host of extended family and good friends. Along with his parents, Kaz is preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Pioro, in 1994.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1405 Main Street in Elkhart, Indiana on Friday, December 20, 2024 at 10:30 am. A brief visitation beginning at 10 am will precede the mass. Father Logan Parrish of St. Thomas will officiate the mass. Following that, Kaz will be returned to Maine to be interred at St. Mary's Cemetery in Biddeford at a later date. Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart has been entrusted in assisting the family with the local arrangements while Cote Funeral Home of Saco, Maine will oversee Kaz's burial at St. Mary's. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a donation be made in Kaz's name to the charity of one's choice.

If a man's hands could tell a story, Kaz's would reflect a life of great strife and hardship; of hard labor and self-taught skills, but also a life of love, compassion, accomplishment and meaningful devotion to a very real Lord. Being born just three years prior to World War Two in a country occupied by Nazi Germany would never be considered contusive to a comfy existence, but it shaped and forged the direction of Kaz's life very much for the better. Although Kaz engaged in back-breaking labor from the age of four, he never let things get the best of him, and he habitually made the best out of every situation. Considering his very austere upbringing, Kaz spoke six languages (fluently), was a self-taught master machinist, taught himself basic construction skills like plumbing, electric, and masonry; built homes and businesses, dug wells for his own water supply, lived in several countries and was able to pass along his high sense of work ethic along to his son, Daniel.

Following the war, Kaz spent several years in refugee camps designed for displaced persons but soon found himself and his family moving to Brasil. This is where he honed and perfected many of his life skills that he started in Europe. In 1962, he immigrated again, this time to New York City, where he remained for nearly a decade. Following that, he found himself in Maine raising chickens on a small farm while commuting 65 miles each way each day to the  General Electric company in South Portland. It was during this time of his life that he met and married his beautiful sweetheart Deborah.

It seemed that Kaz was never happy unless he was busy doing something, and that didn't change once he moved to Indiana. Deborah will attest that Kaz's all-time favorite thing to do was to continuously drive across the United States and Canada delivering RV's from local RV manufacturers, because he loved to travel and see new things. He started out driving with his Rottweiler "Maxie", who went with him everywhere, but after her passing, it seemed that Deborah was recruited to be Kaz's co-pilot. Whether driving together or "convoying" with each other in separate vehicles, Kaz and Deborah simply loved to travel and see the world together. They also enjoyed visiting Brasil and Australia, but we seriously doubt if any RV's made it to Perth. He also taught his sweetheart to snow and water ski as well, because in Maine, you can snow ski on the same lake that you water skied on the summer before. He was a proud Pole and member of the Slavophile Society, a benevolent organization of Central European peoples who would enjoy the company and society of other Slavic people. Finally, it should be mentioned that Kaz was very much a devout Catholic and credited his strong faith as the main reason he was able to survive the terrible times in his early youth.  Kaz is truly an amazing example of triumph over adversity.

Niech was Bog Blogoslaw,  Blogoslawienstwa dla was wszystkich!

Charity of One's Choice