Matthew Jerome Czarnyszka

Although taken from his loved ones much too soon, Matthew Czarnyszka made a significant impact in the lives of all he knew. He lived life to the fullest and savored every moment spent with his family and friends. A loving and devoted husband and father, Matt was the rock of his family and always there for them. He worked hard, but took the time to enjoy life along the way. Matt’s contagious zest for life and sense of humor made him so much fun to be around. Life will never be the same without him here, but he leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that his loved ones will forever hold near and dear to their hearts.

The 1960s were an exciting time in America. We elected the young John F. Kennedy as our 35th President of the United States, and civil rights were front and center. The space race between the United States and Russia was underway, and by the end of the decade we had put the first man on the moon. It was just as this decade was dawning that Harry and Edith (Hanson) Czarnyszka were pleased to announce the birth of the baby boy they named Matthew Jerome on June 6, 1961. He joined his sister, Mary, and then his little sister Mindy came along. Sadly, Matt’s father died when Matt was just 11. To support her family, Matt’s mother worked at a local radio station, WOKY and later Matt became the WOKY chicken mascot! There were many summer vacations at Uncle Dan and Auntie Ink’s cottage on Reinhart Lake, where they enjoyed fishing and swimming. When he was 12, Matt took an interest in golf and spent a great deal of time at Dineen Park’s 9-hole course.

In many ways Matthew was a young boy of his generation. He had numerous interests including his Hot Wheels cars and various sports like baseball, football, and bowling. Matt was an avid fan of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. Their house was the neighborhood hangout and they all had fun playing basketball together. Matt even allowed his little sister to be on his team. Besides the food fights they loved having, there were also “apple wars” where they chucked apples at each other from across the street. Somehow they always managed to get everything cleaned up before Matt’s mom got home. As a student he attended James Madison High School. There, Matt took German for four years and was a member of the chess club, participating in many tournaments including a trip to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He also had an interest in art and won a blue ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair for a vase he sculpted. He also impressed his children with the characters he would draw.

As his family and friends can attest, Matt grew to be strong man in the lives of those around him. He became even stronger when he found the Lord at Parkway Apostolic Church. He loved sharing his faith, inviting his family and others he knew to experience the same joy. Matt also loved his church family, serving in ministry, and teaching Bible studies at both Parkway and his current church, Hope City Church. With a compassionate and generous heart, Matt enjoyed serving at the Shalom Center Food Pantry in Kenosha, boxing food for the hungry.

It was in 1988 that Matt first connected with Sandra Thorsen at Parkway Church. Since he was unsure of which direction God wanted for him they parted ways, but never completely lost touch and in 2004 they reconnected. They were married later that year and loved every minute of the 14 years they spent together. In 2006 they were blessed with the birth of their daughter Madison, completing their family of six as she joined older siblings Joe, Kaity, and Ben. Aside from his faith, there was nothing that Matt treasured more than his family. He taught Madison how to golf, bowl, play chess, hit a baseball, and dribble a basketball. Father and daughter were inseparable from the moment she was born, and his patience and love with her was endless even through her 6 months of colicky nights.

Though born a city boy, Matt became quite an accomplished farm hand with all the animals that Sandy and the kids brought to their farm. Between the 700 bales of hay that was harvested every year and driving his tractor to help in the garden or plow snow every winter, Matt had to admit that he loved being in the country. Their cats and dogs were also important members of their family. Most days, their cats took up residence in his lap as soon as he sat in his favorite recliner. Matt worked hard to support his family through his work as a Senior Operations Leader at RCK Foods, a food manufacturing facility. He was extremely gifted at his job with a knack for troubleshooting problems. His co-workers loved and appreciated him daily and he loved what he did and the people he did it with.

There were so many things that Matt loved throughout his life. He adored his nieces and nephew, and the feeling was completely mutual. Holiday gatherings with their family were always memorable, and Matt remained a role model in the lives of everyone as he was always available for counsel or support. It was a known fact that Matt was a Green Bay Packer fan through and through, but he also loved watching the Badgers, Bucks, and Brewers. An avid sports fan, he loved the fantasy football leagues and everyone knew that if it was football season and there was yelling, it was Matt watching his Packers! Matt enjoyed playing golf as well on the trips to Myrtle Beach with family and friends. Matt’s movie favorites were old westerns like, The Magnificent 7 and Tombstone. In addition, Matt enjoyed watching Jerry Seinfeld and most people thought he looked and acted quite a bit like him too! He enjoyed Christian music and the music from the 70’s and 80’s. He loved dancing from the time he was young and went to dance clubs to show off his disco moves! It has been said that many were impressed with how such a tall guy could have such amazing dance rhythm. Dancing with Matt was one of Sandy’s favorite things to do together. One anniversary, Madison surprised them by turning down the lights and putting on “You Make Me Smile” so they could dance together. She’ll never forget that. All who knew Matthew Czarnyszka would agree that he was truly amazing. He was caring, compassionate, and fun with just the right amount of mischief mixed in. Matt had a heart for God and lived by the morals and standards that were engraved upon his heart. Deeply loved, he will be forever missed.

Matthew J. Czarnyszka

February 4, 2019. Age 57 years. Beloved husband of Sandra Czarnyszka (nee Thorsen). Cherished father of Joe, Kaity, Ben, and Madison. Loving son of Edie and the late Harry Czarnyszka. Dear brother of Mary (Mark) Kurcz and Mindy Czarnyszka. Dear son-in-law of Rick and Judith Tweed and Michael and Cynthia Thorsen. Dear uncle of Christina, John and Christy. Further survived by other relatives and friends.

Family and friends will gather on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at Parkway Apostolic Church 10940 S. Nicholson Road Oak Creek, WI 53154 from 12:00 PM until time of the Memorial Service at 3:00 PM.

Niemann / Suminski LifeStory Funeral Home

414-744-5156

SuminskiFuneralHome.com