Henry R. Krysiak

Henry R. Krysiak passed away on Monday, September 30, 2019.

He was born in Wilmington, DE, on August 8, 1921. Henry attended secondary schools in Wilmington and showed an early interest in art and science. He graduated from the H.F. Brown Vocational High School, majoring in Industrial Chemistry in 1940 and was employed by the DuPont Experimental Station until September 1942, when he enlisted in the Navy. After serving in the Aleutian and Philippine Islands, Henry was honorably discharged as a Radioman Second Class in January 1946. He entered the University of Delaware that September and graduated in June 1950 with a B.S. degree with Distinction in Chemistry. In September 1950, Henry entered Purdue University where he received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 1952 and 1954. He returned to employment with the DuPont Company in Richmond, VA. While in Richmond, Henry met and married Patricia Eagan after a long-range courtship and transfer of Henry to Wilmington, DE. The happy couple were wed on January 21, 1956 in Richmond and settled in Wilmington. Henry retired from DuPont in November 1982. During his scientific career, he authored or coauthored seven publications and obtained four US patents relating to polyester tire cord adhesives, the technology which was adopted by the B.F. Goodrich Company in their tires.

Henry enjoyed dancing beginning in his teens and in his later life. His musical tastes included the swing era and jazz, and classical, especially that of the Baroque. In the 1960’s, he began making various fruit and dandelion wines and a bottled sparkling “champagne” made from apples, which made Henry very popular among neighbors and friends. He continued to make fine wines from his 15-plant vineyard of French hybrid grapes. Henry enjoyed playing chess and was a long time member of the Fraim Senior Center chess club.

He crafted period furniture pieces in walnut, including a Queen Anne lowboy, Williamsburg table, Hepplewhite dining room table, coffee tables and other pieces. A contemporary style side chair he designed and crafted was exhibited at the Delaware Art Museum. Just prior to retirement and after, he began an active career in art and sculpture, working mainly in wood. Henry visited many museums and studied composition in the Art Department of the University of Delaware, but was mainly self-taught. In the 1970’s, he developed a unique contemporary style of wood reliefs with smooth flowing polished naturally finished walnut, cherry or painted pieces mounted singly or as composites on framed linen-like background panels, and which he named “relief graphics”. He also created free-standing sculptures of wood. He exhibited his work in many outdoor and juried shows in Delaware and other states. Henry was the recipient of many art prizes over the years from 1976 to 2001 at the University of Delaware, the Rehoboth Art League, and the Center for the Creative Arts. At the request of then-pastor Reverend John Hynes of the Parish of the Resurrection in Wilmington, DE, Henry designed and created a large outdoor painted wood and stainless steel relief figure entitled “Christ Rising From The Bonds Of Death”, which was installed on the front of the church in 1984 and relocated to the renovated and expanded facilities in 1996. He also designed and created a large Resurrection sign at the entrance to the church. He most recently designed four stained glass windows for the Resurrection Chapel which were created by Jon Barber of Resurrection. Henry’s works are represented in the collections of private and professional individuals in the US, France, the DuPont Company, the American Bar Association, and the Newark Senior Center.

Henry also enjoyed writing short stories, some of which have been published. In 1999, he completed the task of compiling 3 branches of his family tree, which Henry distributed. He translated his father’s life story, a tradition his father started. He self-published hard-cover bound pictorial and descriptive albums of his art and craft work covering over 530 pieces and completed in 2003. He also wrote and self-published his life story in a unique, hard-cover book form of ten-year periods, which included famous news events occurring at the same time periods through 2002. Besides art, Henry was a great fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Eagan Krysiak; parents, Boleslaw and Czeslawa Krysiak; infant son, Thomas Edward; brothers, Szczepan Krysiak and Stanley and Edward Palivoda; and sisters, Anne Palivoda Shane, Helen Palivoda Merrill, and Victoria Palivoda Walker. Survivors include his son Michael Krysiak and wife Patricia L. of Wilmington; daughters, Mary Louise Newnam of Ocean City, NJ, and Susan E. Krysiak of Del Haven, NJ; grandchildren, Rachel Krysiak Heitur, Stephanie Krysiak Harmeson, Rebecca Krysiak, and Thomas, Alec, Emily, and Sam Newnam; and great grandchildren, Ben Heitur and Campbell and Lucas Harmeson.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 10:30 am until 11:30 am on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at Resurrection R.C. Church, 3000 Videre Drive, Wilmington, DE, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11:30 am. Interment will follow in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, DE.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Resurrection Parish at the address above.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Resurrection Parish at the address above.