Obituary of Raymond J. Zierak

Raymond J. Zierak, 92, of Locust Avenue, passed away Monday afternoon at the St. Mary?s Hospital after a short illness. Born in Amsterdam, New York, March 9, 1914, he was the son of Albert and Mary Sajta Zierak. Ray was a graduate of the Wilbur H. Lynch High School and attended and graduated from Union College in Schenectady and Albany Law School with a Bachelor of Laws Degree in 1938. He was a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and a Veteran of WWII, where he served in the Pacific Theatre with the 3rd Marine Air Wing. After the war, he returned to Amsterdam and began a private law practice, which he continued until a few years before his death. He was elected and served as the City Court Judge in Amsterdam for 24 years. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and was also Counsel to the Polish Consulate for several years. He was a communicant of St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in Amsterdam and was a member of the St. Michael?s Society. He was active in community affairs and was a member and past president of the Montgomery County Bar Association, Galway Lake Association, the American Legion and the Montgomery County Republican Club. He was Chairman of the 7th Ward Memorial Fund and a past member of the Greater Amsterdam Board of Education. He was one of the original founders of the Equity Club and a former member of the Polish National Legion and the St. John?s Club. Ray was an accomplished piano player, an avid golfer and loved spending time with his family at his camp at Galway Lake. On May 24, 1942 he married the former Lucy Drzewicki, who died March 31, 1999. Survivors include a son, Raymond S. Zierak and his wife Diane of Long Valley, New Jersey; two daughters, Marilyn Betz and her husband Richard of Fort Johnson, New York and Patricia McCarty and her husband Dan of Long Valley, New Jersey; a sister, Regina Wytrwal of Amsterdam; a step-sister, Helen Malicki of Amsterdam; a step-brother, Matthew Zajaczkowski of Amsterdam; a sister-in-law, Gretchen Drzewicki of Newport, Rhode Island; six grandchildren, Mary Christina Simpson, M.D., Heather Grace Havette, Sean Zierak, Katie, Elizabeth and Kevin McCarty; twin great grandchildren, Ava and Jack Simpson and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 7, 2006, at 8:00 am at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, New York followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 9:00 am at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Vanderveer Street, Amsterdam, New York with the Rev. Stanislaus J. Swierzowski as celebrant. Interment will take place in St. Stanislaus Cemetery with full military honors. The family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday from 4 to 7 pm at the funeral home. Flowers are acceptable, however those desiring may make a memorial contribution in Ray?s memory to a charity of one?s choice.