Lukawecki obituaries, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Name, date of obit, date submitted, submitted for the USGenWeb archives by: Lukawecki, William Walter 5 Jan 2009 Jan 2009 Jerry Nelson *************************************************************************** Obituary published in The Advocate (Baton Rouge): 1/5/2009 LUKAWECKI, WILLIAM WALTER William Walter "Bill" Lukawecki, of Hammond, a retired educator, died Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009, at the age of 84 at home surrounded by his family. He will be remembered by most as a longtime principal of Hammond High School. Born on Feb. 15, 1924, in Norwood, Mass., Bill came to Hammond in 1947 after serving in the Navy Seabees in World War II, to attend Southeastern Louisiana College on the first baseball scholarship offered by SLC. While still playing baseball for SLC, he began his association with the Hammond Berries baseball team by pitching batting practice and traveling with the team during the summers. Upon graduation from SLC in 1950, he joined the Hammond Berries fulltime. After his baseball career, he entered the education field becoming a coach, teacher and longtime principal in various schools in the Tangipahoa Parish school system. He began a long-term association with the Louisiana High School Athletic Association by first officiating basketball and football games and later became the assignment secretary, a position that he held for many years. In 2000, he was inducted into the LHSAA Hall of Fame. In his early years, he was very involved with community youth by coaching in the Babe Ruth Baseball League as well as running the Hammond Recreational Department. In his many years of dealing with the youth of this community, he always stressed the importance of a good education. Bill himself received his master's degree in education in 1965 from SLC and his master's plus 30 in 1973. He was preceded in death by his wife Rita Landry Lukawecki; his parents, Kathryn and Nikolas Lukawecki; brothers, Michael and Edward Lukawecki; sister, Kristine Lukawecki Siemash. He is survived by daughters Joyce "JoRe" O'Brian and husband Otis, of Greensburg, Kathryn "Kathy" Taylor and husband Eddie, of Monroe; son, Michael "Mick" Lukawecki and wife Carm, of Southington, Conn.; grandchildren, Thad Wolfe and wife Kelly, of Albany, Ben Wolfe and wife Heidi, Erin O'Brian Blackwell and husband Chris, and Tres' O'Brian and wife Allison, all of Hammond, Davis Taylor and wife Tuwana, of Springfield, Beau Taylor and wife Susan, of Monroe, and Nikolas Lukawecki, of Southington; and 11 great-grandchildren; brother, Stanley Lukawecki and wife Anne, of Seneca, S.C.; and many nieces and nephews. The family would like to express their most sincere appreciation to Dr. Michele Larroque, Dr. Edward St. Martin, Dr. William Gilbreath, North Oaks Hospice and the Bereavement Committee of Holy Ghost Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to North Oaks Hospice, P.O. Box 2668, Hammond, LA 70404 or Richard Murphy Hospice Foundation, 16013 Halbert Lane, Hammond, LA 70403. Friends will be received Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Harry McKneely & Son Funeral Home, Hammond, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Services will be held at Holy Ghost Catholic Church on Wednesday at 11 a.m., with the Rev. Cayet Mangiaracina officiating. Interment in Holly Gardens Cemetery, Hammond, LA 70401. An online guestbook is available at http://www.harrymckneely.com. *************************************************************************** File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/tangipahoa/obits/obitssur/lukawecki.txt