Edward J. Kamienski

"Harmonica Man"

 Naugatuck- Edward J. Kamienski, age 95, husband of the late Henrietta S. (Skiba) Kamienski for 58 years, a longtime resident of Naugatuck, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2023.

Mr. Kamienski was born in Greenwich, Connecticut on February 7, 1928, son of the late Julian and Emilia (Livman) Kamienski. He was a United States Navy veteran attached to a bomber squadron aboard the carrier USS Randolph, receiving the World War II Victory Medal for his service. After leaving the Navy, Ed worked for Sikorsky Helicopter Manufacturing for 33 years as a metrology lab calibration technician.

Ed enjoyed fishing, acrylic painting at the Naugatuck Senior Center, gardening, photography, and was an avid Yankees baseball fan. But most of all, Ed enjoyed playing his chromatic harmonicas. He entertained many people, playing at convalescent homes, senior centers, veteran shows, church fairs, Christmas concerts at local libraries, and played for a few wakes, funerals, and weddings (including his son’s wedding in Alaska). He was a member of the Harmonicos harmonica trio in the 1960s, occasionally entertaining at parties and banquets. They once played at an event where Igor Sikorsky (helicopter pioneer) was a guest. Ed also enjoyed performing with his friends, Joe Masulli, and the late Robert Viellette, a well-known pianist in the Waterbury area.

Ed was active with local choral groups such as the Kollege Kapers and the Happy Timers. His wife, Henrietta, joined him as a singer with the Happy Timers. He was a parishioner of St. Vincent Ferrer Church and received their Stewardship Award in 2014.

Mr. Kamienski is survived by his son, Ed Kamienski and his wife, Emmy Zartman, of Anchorage, Alaska; his daughter, Wanda Niemi and her husband, Brian, and his grandsons, Jack and Colton, all of Greensboro, Vermont.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday September 12, 2023 from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Naugatuck Valley Memorial/Fitzgerald Zembruski Funeral Home, 240 North Main Street in Naugatuck. Members of the Naugatuck Veterans will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent Ferrer Church 1006 New Haven Road, Naugatuck.  Burial with military honors will be in St. James Cemetery.  To send an on-line condolence, please visit www.naugatuckvalleymemorial.com.  In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the Howard Whittemore Memorial Library, 243 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770, St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, 1006 New Haven Road, Naugatuck, CT 06770, or to the American Cancer Society, 1075 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT 06708.

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