Alfred Maselbas, 94, of LaPorte, IN, passed away unexpectedly Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, at Franciscan St. Anthony Hospital in Michigan City, IN.
He was born May 11, 1924, in West Point, VA, to the late John and Victoria (Klubowicz) Maselbas.
Alfred was an extremely hard-working man. From the time he was a young boy to his adulthood, he was always helping to support his family in one way or another. His teenage years were spent working in a sawmill in Poland during World War II. He joined the Polish resistance in 1941 in hopes of helping to liberate Poland after it was taken over by Germany, and later by the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, His courage and devotion came at a price. He was arrested and imprisoned by the communist government of Poland after the war. After his release through an amnesty, Alfred was repatriated to the United States and settled in Chicago with his brother. After meeting his first wife, Anna, they were married on Aug. 7, 1948, and soon relocated to the LaPorte area. Sadly, in November of 1995, she suffered a stroke and passed away. He spent many years honoring the life he created and sharing in his stories of his childhood and young adult life. He worked in various positions for the New York Blower Company for 28 years. He remained an active member of the LaPorte Knights of Columbus for over 20 years. His 61 years of devotion to his parish, St. Joseph, will never be forgotten. He will also be remembered for his courage and patriotism during a very difficult time, which he proudly represented.
Alfred is survived by his loving spouse of 18 years, Teresa Maselbas of LaPorte, IN; son, Thomas (Linda) Maselbas, of LaPorte, IN; stepchildren, Elizabeth (Mirek) Frackiel of Poland, Michal (Susan) Piatkowski of LaPorte, IN, and Piotr (Krystyna) Piatkowski of Poland; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his parents, John and Victoria Maselbas, one sister and one brother.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, LaPorte, with Father Ian Williams officiating. Visitation and viewing will be held from 9-11 a.m. Wednesday at Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory, LaPorte, Burial will follow the Mass Wednesday at Pine Lake Cemetery, LaPorte.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP as well as at www.LakeviewFHC.com.