Obituary of Elsie Marie Wierzbicki

Elsie Marie (Lutz) Wierzbicki, 81, of Middleton died after a long battle with cancer at home on Tuesday April 26, 2016. She was born in Jersey City, NJ, raised in Boston’s South End and graduated from Girl’s High School, Boston. She resided in Peabody most of her life. Elsie was the beloved wife of Julian Wierzbicki for 62 years and mother of Paul, Lorraine, David Susan, and Martin; grandmother of David and Alex Kirk, and sister of Clare Hurley of Sarasota, Fl. Elsie was devoted to her family and a tireless worker and advocate for her CP related handicapped children, David and Susan, She was a co-founder and President of Family Quarters, Inc, a non-profit corporation dedicated to building and providing an assisted living home in Peabody for four developmentally handicapped residents including her daughter Susan. She has served on various boards for the Dept of Developmental Services, United Cerebral Palsy, Northeast ARC, C.L.A.S.S., and was an active member in several organizations devoted to assisting and promoting the cause of the handicapped. She worked as a teacher’s aid in the Special Education Class in the Peabody School System. She organized and supervised a bowling league for both the handicapped and seniors. Elsie was a longtime yoga devotee and taught yoga adult educations classes for many years, she also gave classes and instruction for the developmentally delayed and children. She was devoted to her church and together with her husband, Julian, she directed and guided the Marriage Preparation curriculum at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Peabody. Together they were also involved for many years in Marriage Encounter and sang in the St. Thomas Choir. She enjoyed reading, the company of her book club at Masi Meadow, and the TV game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy which she fervently watched daily. As busy as she always was, she still found time for rug hooking, needlepoint, bargello, and knitting afghans as gifts…she called it relaxing. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Monday May 2 at St. Agnes Church, 24 Boston St., Middleton at 11:00 AM. Burial will be private and take place at the convenience of the family. Contributions in her memory may be made to Family Quarters, C/O T.I.L.L. Inc., 20 Eastbrook Rd., Suite 201. Dedham, MA 02026-2056 or Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923.