Obituaries

Fritzie Kulesa

Former Riverhead resident Fritzie Kulesa (Frances Rogers) died Sept. 14 in Naples, Fla.

Fritzie was born June 17, 1934, to Edward and Estelle (Czygier) Rogers. Upon graduating from Riverhead High School in 1951, Fritzie joined her parents in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where she was employed by the Arabian American Oil Company.

In 1954, she and John Kulesa married and they spent 52 years together raising their two sons, Richard and Jack, and were devoted to their grandchildren, Danielle, Richard and Rachel.

John and Fritzie lived with their boys on the Kulesa farm in Calverton and enjoyed many years of farming. In later years they were proprietors of Regula’s Corner in Polish Town and also ran polka weekends in the Catskills, where over 600 people would gather each weekend to enjoy three days of polkas and fun.

In 1980, Fritzie was elected president of the Polish Town Civic Association, accepting the challenge of organizing and extending the annual street fair in Polish Town from a one-day event to a two-day affair, which remains in effect today.

In 1990, Fritzie and John moved to Florida, where John enjoyed golf and Fritzie loved the warm weather and the beach. In 2006 they moved from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Naples.

Fritzie is survived by her two sons, Richard, of Naples, Fla., and Jack, of Calverton, and three grandchildren, Danielle, Richard and Rachel. She was predeceased by her husband, John, and her brother, Richard.

This is a paid notice.