Jan Smolenski, age 96, of the Chicago area, passed away peacefully on April 25, 2026. He was born on April 5, 1930, in Staryna, Smalyavichy District, in the Minsk region of what is now Belarus. His was a life shaped by survival, reinvention, and above all, the enduring love of family.

Jan was the son of Józef Smolenski and Anna Smolenska (née Stankiewicz). His early childhood in Soviet-occupied Belarus was marked by the upheaval of the era, and the young Jan was taken in by the Kwietniewski family, whose name he would carry for the years ahead.

World War II brought years of brutal hardship. As a young teenager, Jan was held in the Nazi labor camps of northwestern Germany. When liberation came in 1945, he turned immediately toward the future, pursuing his education in the postwar displaced persons camps rather than dwelling on what he had endured.

Jan arrived in New York Harbor on January 22, 1951, aboard the USNS General Harry Taylor after departing Bremerhaven, Germany ten days earlier. Chicago became his home, and he found his footing in its Polish-American community, working for years as a machinist. In 1965, he stood before a federal court and took the Oath of Allegiance as a United States citizen. He marked the occasion by formally changing his name back to Jan Smolenski, reclaiming the family name that was always his.

Jan met Janina Nowaczewska at a Polish Choir event, and the two were married in October 1974. She was the love of his life and his partner in building the American future he had fought so hard to reach. Together they raised two sons, Mark and Andrew, and made their home in the Chicago area. Jan is also survived by his sister Jadwiga, his grandchildren Scarlett, Aidan, Alex and Riley, and all who loved him.

An avid fan of the White Sox and Bulls, he spent many nights listening to their games over the radio or watching on TV with his sons. This loyalty led him to witness the Bulls dynasty of the 90s and the White Sox World Series championship in 2005.

Jan was preceded in death by his parents Józef and Anna; his siblings Bolesław, Lucjan, Kazimierz, Leokadia, and Maria.

Ninety-six years is a long time to be alive, and Jan filled his with more history than most people encounter in several lifetimes. He lived through the invasion of Poland, survived Soviet repression and wartime labor camps, crossed an ocean with little more than his name, and built something lasting on the other side. He saw his children grown and his grandchildren arrive. He was one of the last living witnesses to a world most of us will only read about in books. What carried him through all of it was not luck alone, but will, wisdom, and grace. He will be deeply missed, but his legacy of love, caring, and perseverance will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew him.

Visitation Wednesday 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Skaja Terracre Funeral Home 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave. Niles. Funeral Thursday 9:00 AM to St. Mary of the Woods Church for 10:00 AM Mass. Interment St. Adalbert Cemetery. Funeral Info 847-966-7302 or www.skajafuneralhomes.com