Paul Eugene Piwnicki

Paul E. Piwnicki

January 4, 1951- September 28, 2026

Paul E. Piwnicki, 75, of White Plains, NY, passed away from Alzheimer's disease at his home on September 28th with his loving wife and daughter by his side. Paul was a kind, smart, funny, generous, compassionate, principled, and patient man. He was loved and admired by so many and he will forever be missed.

A native of the "Back of the Yards" neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Paul was the son of Rita and Eugene Piwnicki. He grew up with four siblings and attended St. John of God Grammar School and De La Salle High School. Paul was an avid White Sox fan, frequently catching the last innings of games after school, for free!

A typical teen of the 1960s, Paul loved rock music and learned to play guitar and electric bass. He and his friends formed several bands and played at the local clubs. His bandmates called him Gigs because he loved to laugh. Paul was lucky enough to see the Beatles twice in Chicago. (He was always sorry I didn't keep the ticket stubs.) Paul had a low draft number for the Viet Nam war but a perforated ulcer at 18 kept him home. He thought he would have a career as a rocker by night, carpenter by day, but made the sensible decision to go to college. Paul graduated from University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in architecture and pursued a career as an architectural engineer.

Phys. Ed. was required at college, so he enrolled in the scuba diving class with his friend Jerry and became PADI certified. Paul then joined the League of Underwater Photographers through the Shedd Aquarium, traveling with his friend Barry all over the world for exotic drive trips with members. His friend Linda said Paul was the one in the group who could always be counted on. He had a skill for making multi-projector slide shows of his photos timed with music on a cassette player. On a trip to Chuuk Lagoon in Micronesia, their live-aboard dive boat hit a reef and sunk. Everyone was rescued and were invited on the Oprah Winfrey Show to tell the tale.

Paul also loved hiking and camping, and with his best friend Jerry, they visited dozens of national parks across the West. They particularly loved photographing historic trains.

In 1992, Paul traveled to Kenya for a photo safari where he met fellow traveler Marjorie Madfis of New York. She was a novice photographer and Paul gave her guidance and lent her camera lenses. He knew he was going to marry her. Their first date back in the States was a dive in Key Largo where they both got seasick in the 6-foot waves. They spent a year dating long distance and then Paul proposed at The River Café under the Brooklyn bridge. Paul moved to Manhattan and they were married in 1994. They relished their city life, attending jazz concerts, Broadway, lectures, and art gallery openings.

In New York, Paul excelled in his career at Empire City Iron Works and Koenig Iron Works, working on landmarks including the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, the Whitney Museum of Art, and the TWA hotel. He was particularly proud of his work on elaborate staircases that were the centerpieces of office buildings, retail stores, museums, and homes.

Daughter Isabelle was born in 1996 and Paul was smitten. He would walk his mini-me up and down the apartment building hallway, Isabelle tucked in the Baby Bjorn, until she stopped crying (4 months!). The family moved to Westchester County in 1998, where Isabelle was diagnosed with Autism at age two and a half.

Paul participated in Isabelle's therapies, school meetings, and activities, and enjoyed teaching her to swim, bike ride, and wash his car. He played board games (Pretty Pretty Princess was a favorite), took her on train rides, enrolled her in scuba diving lessons, and read to her every night. As an active family, Paul's motto was "the Piwnickis do more in a day than the army does in a week." His involvement and support helped Isabelle to overcome many challenges. He was so proud of the wonderful young woman she is today.

Paul had over an hour drive home from work, so he called his mother every day to talk about nothing and he called his mother-in-law to talk about baseball. He relished talking with Ted, his father-in-law, about WW2 and all periods of history.

Paul became a connoisseur of craft beers and single malt scotch. He was a super fan of both Pat Metheny and Chick Corea and attended all their NY performances. When the Jazz Forum opened their club in Tarrytown - so much closer than Manhattan - he and Marjorie became regulars.

In his retirement, he assisted Marjorie in her creation of Yes She Can, a nonprofit helping young women with autism spectrum disorder develop skills for employment, and its Girl AGain resale boutique. Paul was the best volunteer any founder could want, setting up each store, repairing donated broken doll furniture, assisting customers, and fundraising.

Paul never went to sleep without reading a chapter in a book. That stopped and in 2021, Paul was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He volunteered for a drug clinical trial at NYU Langone and his participation helped facilitate the release of the drug, Kisnula, for those with early stage disease. At the end of the 3-year study, Paul no longer qualified for the drug. The progression of Paul's disease meant he and Marjorie would not realize their plans for 15 years of travel. After COVID, they did make memorable trips to Alaska, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, the Canadian Rockies, Utah, and the Galapagos Islands before travel became too difficult.

Paul is survived by his wife Marjorie Madfis, his daughter Isabelle Piwnicki, sisters Ritajean Piwnicki, Pamela Roush, Sandra Kern (Lynn), sister-in-law and brother-in-law Patricia and Andrew Salner, brother-in-law Michael Madfis, 11 nieces and nephews and his best friend Jerry Pascazio. Maurine Walton was Paul's dedicated caregiver in his last year. His father, mother, brother William, brother-in-law Tim Roush, and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Theodore and Lila Madfis preceded him in death.

A memorial service will be held at Ballard-Durand on Wednesday, September 30th 1:30pm-3pm.

Shiva will be at the Piwnicki's home.

Besides his family, Paul's greatest passion was music, especially jazz. Those wishing to honor Paul with a memorial contribution are kindly encouraged to consider a donation to the Jazz Forum Lab Band which provides opportunities for young people to grow through music and mentorship. Funds support the teaching artists, shared sheet music, equipment, and keeping the program free for all students.

Donations are accepted from the Jazz Forum Lab Band webpage or by mail.

Checks payable to Jazz Forum Arts.

Jazz Forum

1 Dixon Lane

Tarrytown, 10591 NY

Note: In Memory of Paul Piwnicki

Link: https://jazzforumarts.org/education/jazz-forum-lab-band/#donate