Magdalena (Krzyszczuk) Twarowski

Magdalena Twarowski, Loving Mother, Soviet Labor Camp Survivor, World War II Nurse's Aide.

Magdalena Twarowski, a true representative of the greatest generation, who lived a life of adventure and variety, died peacefully on Monday, April 11, 2022, of old age in her home in Essex, MD. She was 97.

Born and raised in Prusy, a small town near Lwów, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine), she attended schools there until about the age of 16, when her life changed dramatically. In the middle of the night, Russian soldiers came and forced her and her family onto boxcars headed for Kazakhstan. She survived a year of forced labor in cotton fields and witnessed the death of her mother and younger sister. When the Germans attacked Russia during the war, she, among many thousands of enslaved Poles, were freed and formed a Polish army under British command. She served as a nurse's aide in Italy in 1942, where she met her future husband, Jan Twarowski (1918 - 1994). They were married in in 1945 in Ancona, Italy and honeymooned in Rome.

After the war, Magdalena and Jan lived in Leek, England, where she worked as a hotel maid for five years. In 1951, together with their infant son Mark, the young couple immigrated to the United States with a suitcase each, and $200 in their pockets, to pursue the American dream. Over the years, she worked a variety of jobs. Barely able to speak any English, she got a job as a machine operator at the American Can Company (Baltimore, MD). She then worked as a cook at Haussner's Restaurant (Baltimore, MD), and later as a machine operator at Independent Can Company (Baltimore, MD). She always took pride in being able to repair her own machines when they stopped working at the can companies. Her family loved when she brought home strawberry or banana cream pies from Haussner's. When husband Jan retired, they moved to their small farm near Hampstead, MD and became full time farmers, running an orchard and selling their produce at local farmer's markets. True to form for the "modern American woman", she was a housewife and mother of four and provided plenty of loving daycare for her 15 grandchildren.

After Jan died in 1994, Magdalena continued to live on the farm. Since she never drove a car, one of her first challenges as a widow was to learn to drive and get a license, which she successfully attained at the age of 70! Eventually, Magdalena moved to Essex to live near her daughter, Barbara. With her move to Essex, she attended daily mass at Our Lady of Mt Carmel, where she gained friends and volunteered for church work. It was her church family. She had a very deep faith. She enjoyed playing board games, doing puzzles, and playing cards, notably pinochle. She loved to go to bingo and played regularly at the nearby Elks Lodge where she went by "Marge" by her bingo buddies.

Magdalena Twarowski (née Krzyszczuk) was the 6th of 8 children, daughter of Tomasz Krzyszczuk and Katarzyna (née Birecka) Krzyszczuk. She is survived by her sons, Mark G. Twarowski (Reisterstown, MD) and Andrew A. Twarowski (Selbyville, DE); her daughters, Barbara E. Twarowski (Essex, MD) and Christine I. Aiello (Marathon Key, FL). She was blessed with her 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

There will be a viewing at Kaczorowski's Funeral Home in Dundalk, on April 18th from 4 to 8 PM. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Tuesday, April 19th at 10AM at Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church, 400 S. Chester Street, Baltimore, MD.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Gilchrist Home Care Fund, 11311 McCormick Road Suite 350, Hunt Valley, MD 21031