Edmund C. Rybicki, at 101
Edmund Constantine Rybicki, 101, of Hull, passed away peacefully with his daughter at his side on January 25, 2025.
Mr. Rybicki was born in 1923 to Antoni and Aniela (Kula) Rybicki, immigrants from Poland. The fifth child of eight, he was raised in Manchester, N.H. and graduated from high school there. At too young an age, his father took him to horse racetracks around New England. He became an astute judge of winning horses and saw Seabiscuit run at Suffolk Downs in 1938.
Mr. Rybicki joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 and served as a radio operator and waist gunner on a B17. He flew 50 combat missions over North Africa, the Middle East, Italy, Germany, and Europe. For his service, he was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Service ribbon with three Bronze Stars, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, an Aviation Badge, and a Good Conduct Service ribbon. He achieved the rank of tech sergeant and was a lifelong member of the DAV.
While briefly stationed stateside, he met a Catholic nursing student at a dance in Sioux Falls, S.D. He always said he saw her dancing with another serviceman, asked for the next dance, and fell in love then and there. He was transferred to a southern air base. While there, he sent back a crate of oranges to the Mother Superior of the nursing school in Irene Fritz’s honor. Needless to say, this greatly impressed the sisters and won over their support. This kind of magnanimous gesture became Mr. Rybicki’s trademark throughout his life.
He married Irene Louise Fritz in Adrian, Minnesota in April 1945. They moved to the Boston area so he could take advantage of the G.I. Bill by attending Northeastern University. Their daughter, Louise, was born in Boston. After graduation, he began his career as an accountant for small businesses throughout the greater Boston area. He enjoyed helping small businesses with financial advice and encouragement to help them succeed. He was honored by ILGWU for his honesty and helping workers in these shops get a fair deal.
Among those businesses was a restaurant at Nantasket Beach. Through that connection, the family noticed an ad for a house for sale on Strawberry Hill. The family moved to Hull in 1953, where Mr. Rybicki lived for 71 years.
He and Irene went to many plays, musicals, and other theater events over the years. Mr. Rybicki loved music and dancing. They also sought out places to dance: ballroom, line dancing, swing – they loved it all. They often traveled around the South Shore and elsewhere to dance.
He lost Irene, the love of his life, in 1999 but persevered and learned to cook and care for himself. He continued, with the encouragement of friends, to go to dances where he was a popular dance partner. The last time he danced was at the pavilion in Hull at age 100.
He especially enjoyed surprising friends and others with gifts, particularly bouquets of roses or lunch out at the Schooner’s. Mr. Rybicki had a great sense of humor and enjoyed telling and hearing good jokes and puns.
Mr. Rybicki was an avid Boston sports fan. Starting with Celtics’ season tickets in 1957, during their glory years, he continued to root for them through their ups and downs. He watched and then listened faithfully to the Patriots and Red Sox.
During Mr. Rybicki’s later years, he met the challenges of poor eyesight, hearing loss, and mobility. He continued living alone and managed his life and affairs with minimum assistance. He mowed his lawn, raked leaves, broke up fallen branches and shoveled snow until he was 99 to keep himself healthy. His daughter, Louise, visited for extended times over the years and he was greatly assisted by his niece, Katie, and her husband, Dan.
Mr. Rybicki was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 54 years, Irene, all his own siblings, all Irene’s siblings who were very close to him, and Martin Edmund, his nephew. He is survived by his daughter, Louise (Ron Luchau) and step-granddaughter, Hilary (Carlos) Mendeguia and great-grandchildren, Drew and Amaya. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews of the Fritz, Herriot, Hintz, Maron, Rybicki, and Thompson families.
His family would like to thank the Hull EMTs, the Hull senior center, the VA home-based primary care team, Carol Faherty (VA Blind Rehab specialist), Home Sweet Home, and friends and neighbors, especially Aleeza, Dan, Margie, and Ed, who helped him live on his own terms.
My Dad was a good, kind and generous man throughout his life, and I will greatly miss his unconditional love, sage advice, good humor and positive attitude. But as he always said, “Bye for now!”
Funeral arrangements are pending. He will be buried next to his beloved wife, Irene, at Hull Village Cemetery. Condolences and stories about Ed can be posted at www.keohane.com.
