Edward Jarecki (1929-2018)

Edward Jarecki, 89-years-old, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2018 at home in Alexandria, Virginia.

Born to Stephania (Keime) Jarecki in Central Falls Rhode Island, Ed was raised in Acushnet, MA.  Early on, he exhibited a unique interest and aptitude in “how things work,” and graduated from New Bedford Vocational High School.  At the suggestion of a teacher, Ed directed his studies toward engineering.  He received a Bachelors of Science degree in mechanical engineering from New Bedford Institute of Textile and Technology (today part of the University of Massachusetts system) and a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Management from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

One evening in June 1962, Ed met Mary Philomena Murphy—who he called “the love of his life”—in Cape Cod, MA.  The two wedded that November and immediately began their 50-year marriage by moving to Southern California, where they raised four children in Newbury Park.

During his career, Ed held engineering and management positions with leading corporations, including General Electric, Rocketdyne, Control Data, and Martin Marietta.  He then turned to teaching at California State University Long Beach.  After 17 years in California, Ed and Philomena moved their family to Klamath Falls, Oregon where he taught engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology.  He lived in Klamath Falls 25 years and moved to Alexandria, Virginia in 2015 after his wife passed in 2012.

Ed was a devoted son, husband, father, brother, engineer, teacher, and an American success story.  A first generation Polish-American, Ed was part of an initial engineering design team of the J79 rocket engine that pioneered jet fighters, including the F16, to fly at mach speed.  He also worked on the Saturn V rocket design for the Apollo program, enabling the first Americans to go to the moon.  Ed served with the United States Army during the Korean war and was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus.

Edward Jarecki is survived by:  daughters Gisele (Greg) Gatjanis of Alexandria, Va.; Valerie Henderson of Arlington, Va.; sons Theodore (Melinda) Jarecki of Richland, Wash.; Dr. John (Dierdra) Jarecki of Wenatchee, WA; and nine grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his beloved mother Stephania and wife Philomena, and sister Stasia St. Amand (Acushnet, MA).  His funeral Mass is scheduled for September 15, 2018 at 10:30 at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria, Virginia, with interment at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria, VA following the Mass.

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