Jan Szczuka
Club members will be saddened to learn of the death, on 2 January, of Jan Szczuka. He succumbed to lung cancer, which was diagnosed in the autumn of 2014, shortly after his return from the ESTC holiday in the Pyrenees. Jan bore his illness stoically and with optimism; only days before he died he talked excitedly about his new electric-assist bike and looked forward to riding it in January.
Enthusiastic participant in the club's activities (from energetic if eccentric party games on Eigg to ski touring the loftiest routes in the Alps, and much more besides). Jan was also hard working, and did much for the club. He served as a member of the committee for a number of years, first as membership secretary, and then as newsletter editor. In this latter capacity, Jan carried on right to the end, not letting his illness interfere with his output.
Besides his outdoor activities, Jan had a remarkable range of intellectual and other interests: music, theatre and the arts in general. He was a keen attender of Edinburgh festival events, and also of the Beyond Borders Scotland Festival. In addition, Jan was skilled in cabinet-making, and his workshop would have been the envy of any professional cabinet maker. Jan didn't just dabble, but threw himself whole-heartedly into anything that he took up. Jan was kind and helpful to others, he was always interesting to talk to, and enlivened any ESTC event. His passing leaves a chasm in the club.
The poem below was written by Jan's nephew's wife. It was read at the service by Jan's sister.
Jan Szczuka
Tall, a tower of good cheer
Draped in a pragmatist’s arctic-grade anorak
He charged
With purposeful Polish steps
Imbued with the souls of exotic soils
Ingrained with the icy lines
Of snow-sung skis
Of million-mile meanders
Of cyclical rides across the countryside
He beheld
With star-bright, glass-framed eyes
Fed on intricate genius
Sights of marvel and song
Art’s scenes of stories unravelling
Passion upon passion perceived
Knowledge shining through each fleck of his irises
He reached
With giant hands of great dynamism
Grown bolder with each creation, each mission
Built to build worlds from wood, from writings, from wifi
They never truly lay still
Too strong was his spirit, his spell-bound will
He embraced
With long majestic wings for arms
Outstretched in a stubborn eagle-like lust for life
Wrapping the many loved so tight
Imprinting on them forever
A life truly lived, truly loved now truly missed
We remember
With awe
A wonderful man who never gave up
In his great industry of ceasing the day
Teaching us to be grateful for
The ease and
The pleasure
Of every
Single
Breath
Hannah Clotilde Carolina Howell
(Jan’s nephew’s wife)
12.1.2016
Poem can be downloaded below:
Club members will be saddened to learn of the death, on 2 January, of Jan Szczuka. He succumbed to lung cancer, which was diagnosed in the autumn of 2014, shortly after his return from the ESTC holiday in the Pyrenees. Jan bore his illness stoically and with optimism; only days before he died he talked excitedly about his new electric-assist bike and looked forward to riding it in January.
Enthusiastic participant in the club's activities (from energetic if eccentric party games on Eigg to ski touring the loftiest routes in the Alps, and much more besides). Jan was also hard working, and did much for the club. He served as a member of the committee for a number of years, first as membership secretary, and then as newsletter editor. In this latter capacity, Jan carried on right to the end, not letting his illness interfere with his output.
Besides his outdoor activities, Jan had a remarkable range of intellectual and other interests: music, theatre and the arts in general. He was a keen attender of Edinburgh festival events, and also of the Beyond Borders Scotland Festival. In addition, Jan was skilled in cabinet-making, and his workshop would have been the envy of any professional cabinet maker. Jan didn't just dabble, but threw himself whole-heartedly into anything that he took up. Jan was kind and helpful to others, he was always interesting to talk to, and enlivened any ESTC event. His passing leaves a chasm in the club.
The poem below was written by Jan's nephew's wife. It was read at the service by Jan's sister.
Jan Szczuka
Tall, a tower of good cheer
Draped in a pragmatist’s arctic-grade anorak
He charged
With purposeful Polish steps
Imbued with the souls of exotic soils
Ingrained with the icy lines
Of snow-sung skis
Of million-mile meanders
Of cyclical rides across the countryside
He beheld
With star-bright, glass-framed eyes
Fed on intricate genius
Sights of marvel and song
Art’s scenes of stories unravelling
Passion upon passion perceived
Knowledge shining through each fleck of his irises
He reached
With giant hands of great dynamism
Grown bolder with each creation, each mission
Built to build worlds from wood, from writings, from wifi
They never truly lay still
Too strong was his spirit, his spell-bound will
He embraced
With long majestic wings for arms
Outstretched in a stubborn eagle-like lust for life
Wrapping the many loved so tight
Imprinting on them forever
A life truly lived, truly loved now truly missed
We remember
With awe
A wonderful man who never gave up
In his great industry of ceasing the day
Teaching us to be grateful for
The ease and
The pleasure
Of every
Single
Breath
Hannah Clotilde Carolina Howell
(Jan’s nephew’s wife)
12.1.2016
Poem can be downloaded below:
| jan_poem_for_him_read_at_funeral.docx |
Jan on skis in the Pentlands. This hillside he is on can be seen from his final resting place.
