David John Zielinski, Sr.

David John Zielinski Sr. of Holland, Ohio, passed away April 9, 2020, in Maumee, OH. He was 82. David was born December 30, 1937, to John and Helen (Nijakowski) in Toledo, the youngest of four children. A 1955 graduate of Central Catholic High School and parishioner of St. Hyacinth Church, David enlisted in the Army and spent time in Korea before receiving an honorable discharge in 1958. David married Rosemary Pudlicki in 1959. David’s military service inspired a lifelong passion of supporting veterans, beginning with joining his local St. Jude Thaddeus Post 1675 and the Catholic War Veterans, among other veterans’ groups. A long time City of Toledo employee, David served as Data Processing Coordinator, where he initiated numerous information technology advances before his retirement in 1989. Some of David’s proudest moments came while serving as the National Commander of the Catholic War Veterans. Along with help from friend and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, David spoke before Congress and was instrumental in President Ronald Reagan signing legislation granting the Catholic War Veterans a Congressional Charter, making CWV only the 59th group to receive a Federal Charter and the first religious organization to receive the distinction. In honor of his tireless efforts in supporting veterans, David was invited to the Vatican by Saint Pope John Paul II. Fiercely proud of his Polish heritage and being fluent in Polish, David cherished the opportunity to speak with the Pope in his native language. In his retirement, David enjoyed cooking, casino trips, traveling, blessing family, friends and strangers alike with his trademark sense of humor and most of all, spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. David was preceded in death by his parents, John and Helen (Nijakowski); siblings, Melvin, Florence and Bernard; son, Steven; daughter, Ann (Timothy Parker); former wife, Sharon (Wietrzykowski); son-in-law, Douglas and dear friend, Mary Hafner. David is survived by former wife and best friend, Rosemary; daughter, Lori (Joseph); son and caregiver, David Jr.; grandchildren, Nicholas, Lauren, Ashley (Dustin), Alex, Alexandria (Aaron) and great-grandchildren, Owen and Leo. Due to current restrictions, visitation and burial will be private. David’s final resting place will be at Resurrection Cemetery, section 6A, 5725 Hill Ave, Toledo, OH 43615 for friends wishing to visit in the future. A memorial service to celebrate David’s life will be held in the future with details announced in the Toledo Blade. Per David’s wishes; any donations in his honor can be made to Catholic War Veterans, 237-30 92nd Rd., Bellerose, NY 11426 or Toledo Humane Society, 827 Illinois Ave. Maumee, OH 43537.