Mary Theresa Gurak Bielen

Mary Theresa Gurak Bielen (nee Glowacki), 105, of Garfield, passed away peacefully with her beloved daughter by her side on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Mary was the fourth of ten children born to John and Catherine Glowacki, who immigrated to this country from Poland when they were teens. She grew up on Fourth Street in Passaic along with many other Polish families. She grew up as a devout Catholic and started her religious education at Holy Rosary School in Passaic. After marrying and moving to Garfield, they joined St. Stanislaus Kostka R.C. Church where she remained a parishioner until this day. She was also a member of the Rosary Society at St. Stan's. Mary enjoyed going to school and when in high school, her oldest sister, Stacia, had her first child, Vic. Mary's father requested that she quit school and babysit the new addition while Stacia went to work. In 1941, Mary married Edward Gurak and they moved to Garfield where they raised their 4 children. Mary started working for Bendix in Teterboro after they bought their first home. She worked as a wire former which helped build airplanes. She remained there until she retired in 1984. Mary was happily married to Ed for 45 years until he passed. Four years later, she married Albin Bielen and moved to Ramsey where she lived on a farm and enjoyed helping him work the land. They would take time to travel around the United States together, with their favorite destination being Hawaii. They were happily married for 16 years and after Al passed, Mary moved back into her previous home back in Garfield where she lived for the remainder of her days. Mary loved doing things with her hands. When her children were young, she would make them dolls and she sewed many of their clothes. After she retired, she took up crocheting and made beautiful blankets for all the adults and baby blankets for all the babies. She even made extras for the babies to come. Throughout her life, she always kept busy and loved socializing. While with Ed, they were members of a bowling league at Wallington Lanes and members of the Paramus Elks Club where, aside from other duties they would go to dinners and spend the entire night on the dance floor. They took dancing lessons for many years with their friends and practiced frequently in their basement where they taught their youngest daughter how to dance. She was well known for making hundreds of pierogis every Christmas for family and friends. Mary was the beloved wife of the late Edward Gurak and Albin Bielen, devoted mother of Frances Martin (Gurak) and her late husband, Robert, Edward Gurak and his wife, Susan, Patricia Rigoliosi and her ex-husband, John, and the late Kathleen Gurak, and step-mother of Nancy Bielen, loving grandmother of Michelle Swistock and her husband, Patrick, David Gurak and his wife, Lindsay, Jonathan Rigoliosi and his partner, Tatiana, Sara Fonohema and her husband, Moto, dear great-grandmother of J.E.B., Reagan and her husband, John Lassiter, Mattingly, Ginger, CharlotteAnne, Seanpatrick, William, and Willow, sister of the late Stacia Hrabal and her late husband, Victor, Carl Glowacki and his late wife, Midge, Helen Wojdyla and her late husband, Joe, Veronica Zalewski and her late husband, Frank, Matthew Glowacki and his late wife, Catherine, Wanda Timek and her late husband, Edward, Genevieve Pasek and her late husband, Theodore, Walter Glowacki, and Frederick Glowacki. Donations in Mary's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/donate) or the Bergen County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center (100 United Lane, Teterboro, NJ 07608) would be kindly appreciated by her family.

Mary Theresa Gurak Bielen

March 26, 1919 - June 25, 2024