Beloved husband of Dolores (Kadzielawski) for 60 years.  Dear father of Christine (the late Thomas) Rohan, David (Mary) Czarnecki, Paul (Kristin) Czarnecki and the late Carol Ann Boran.  Loving grandfather of Timothy and James Rohan, and Steven Czarnecki.  Dear brother of Genevieve Czarnecki.

Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at University of Michigan – Dearborn, where he was on the faculty from 1968 to 1997. He won the AICPA Accounting Educator-of-the-Year Award an unprecedented four times.

***

When Richard Czarnecki was in his late 20s, he left his teaching job in Detroit to take a position as an accountant at the AICPA in New York City. Richard and his wife Dolores had just started a family, and they had plans to expand it, and he wanted a job where he made enough money to support them.

Dolores stayed back and tried to sell the family home, as Richard took off for New York alone. He started his new job and started looking for a new home, but soon he realized that this new job had more travel and longer hours than he wanted, and this new city was more expensive than he bargained for. More than anything, though, Richard missed teaching.

Fortunately, as he was making this realization, the dean of the University of Detroit happened to be passing through New York. The dean met with Richard and could tell that he was unhappy and offered him a chance at a do-over: Richard could come re-claim his old job teaching accounting at the university, if he wanted.

Richard returned to Detroit. He taught accounting in the area for more than four decades, most notably at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and he and Dolores raised four children who would go on to earn six college degrees. Richard dedicated his life to education, until he died this past Sunday, at 87 years old.

Richard Czarnecki first learned the importance of education from his parents. Richard, the oldest of two children, grew up in a working class Polish neighborhood on the west side of Detroit. His father polished bumpers at a factory, and his mother cleaned office buildings at night in downtown Detroit. He only had a sixth grade education, and she had no education to speak of. When Richard was of age, his father brought him to the U of D Jesuit High School, one of the best schools in the city, and announced, "This is where you're going to school."

The Czarneckis had decided they'd save their money to give Richard a better education. As Richard would later say: "Education is a pathway to a plenary life."

Richard's high school classmates called him, "The Brain." He was known for his debate skills, his sharp wit and for being a responsible young man. He worked for some time at a local pharmacy. He and his father also worked as ushers together at the old Briggs Stadium, wiping down seats before people sat down.

In school, Richard discovered a love for accounting. It was a good subject for someone so conscientious.  "Everything in life needs to be accounted for," he'd say. He liked how challenging accounting was. That way, he'd never get bored.

Richard was also a proud member of the Detroit Polish community. The son of a Polish immigrant, he had lots of Polish friends, ate lots of Polish food, and knew lots of Polish songs. It was at a Polish family gathering, at his cousin Irene's house, where he met his future wife, one of Irene's friends, Dolores Kadzielawski.

Dolores would see Richard at these events, but it took him about a year to work up the courage to ask her out. He took her to see a horror movie — one he had already seen — so when it got to the scary part, he knew when to comfort her. The Brain was always one step ahead.

Richard and Dolores got married shortly after that, and moved into a ranch-style home on a cul-de-sac in Dearborn Heights. They stayed in that house for 57 years, while raising four children. Due to company policy, Dolores had to quit her job at the Ford Motor Company when she first got pregnant. She never returned to work. She reared the children, while Richard poured himself into teaching.

Richard earned Bachelor's and Masters degrees from the University of Detroit, and later a Doctorate from Michigan State University — more education than his parents could have ever dreamed. When he was working on his dissertation, as a way to save money, and as an act of love, Dolores typed out the whole thing for him.

Richard taught accounting in the Detroit area for about 43 years — at the University of Detroit, from 1955 until 1968, and at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, from 1968 until 1997. He also spent almost 30 years working part-time at Plante Moran as a training consultant and advisor. He was known as a devoted educator who paid attention to detail and rarely forgot a name. He won the AICPA Accounting Educator-of-the-Year award an unprecedented four times. He received the Chancellor's medal for his exceptional contributions of U-M Dearborn. After he retired, U-M Dearborn created the Richard E. Czarnecki Endowed professorship and the Richard E. Czarnecki Endowed scholarship for students.

Where Richard excelled the most, though, was in teaching his own children — Christine, David, Carol, and Paul. He taught his children how to laugh, by making witty comments while watching the evening news. He taught his children to love sports, by making frequent trips to Tiger Stadium. He taught them what it was like to be a good Catholic, by taking them to weekly mass and living by example. He taught them what it was to be a devoted husband, by treating Dolores like an equal partner, a best friend.

When Richard's father was on his death bed, he asked Richard to look after his younger sister, Genevieve. Aunt Jennie was a constant fixture in the Czarnecki house, a loving mentor to all the Czarnecki children.

Of course, Richard took great pride in how his children performed in school. They could see the pride in his eyes when they brought home a good report card. He paid for Christine, his oldest, to go to the University of Michigan, her top choice for college, even though that meant her turning down a full-ride to attend the University of Detroit, his alma mater. Richard took on extra work over the summer, making a sacrifice for his daughter like his father had for him all those years before.

Richard's children rewarded his sacrifice. His two daughters graduated from the University of Michigan, and his two sons, Notre Dame. Christine also went on to earn a Masters degree at Harvard, and David, a Masters degree at Northwestern.

As the years went on and the children moved out, Richard and Dolores devoted more time to each other. They volunteered to help their local library, they watched Seinfeld, and they visited with their grandchildren — Tim, James, and Steven. Dolores would sit loyally by Richard's side watching the Tigers play, until he'd fall asleep sometime around the fifth inning. At the time of his death, they had been married for 60 years.

A few years ago, during one of these quiet moments, Dolores turned to Richard and joked, "I married you for better or worse. When's it going to get better?"

Without missing a beat, Richard replied, "Honey, this is as good as it gets."

***

Memorials may be made to:

Richard E. Czarnecki Endowed Scholarship
University of Michigan Dearborn
Fund #571919

Checks should be made out to University of Michigan. (Please list in the check memo line: Richard E. Czarnecki Endowed Scholarship Account #571919.)

University of Michigan - Dearborn
Office of Institutional Advancement
4901 Evergreen Road 1040 AB
Dearborn, MI 48128-9977