Elizabeth Kozlowski Paciorek

Elizabeth Helen Kozlowski Paciorek was 75 years old when she died, much too young, on April 4, 2025. “Glamma” had a passion for life, always finding joy and wonderment in the world. She loved spending time with her family and friends, traveling around the world with the love of her life, cooking with her husband, sons & grandchildren, sharing good food and wine, and eating chocolate. She enjoyed exercising and socializing with her friends at Antioch College Wellness Center. She delighted in celebrating special occasions, especially with her grandchildren. We always joked that Glamma had a fear of missing out on any special moment, big or small. Glamma loved so wholly and deeply. She loved hugs and snuggles, reading books on the couch, playing board games, building puzzles, orchestrating craft activities, and taking walks around the pond behind her house. She cherished any drawing, card, or craft that her grandchildren made her. She had a way of making everyone around her feel special and loved. She loved everyone.During the 1970s Beth taught at Villa Maria College a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1961 by the Felician Sisters. She taught courses in early child growth and development and prepared her students for working in programs such as Project Head Start. Project Head Start, launched in 1965, aimed to break the cycle of poverty by providing comprehensive services to low-income preschool children, focusing on their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and educational needs to promote school readiness. In 1976 Beth married John Paciorek at Most Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church in Cheektowaga (Buffalo, NY). In the late 1970s Beth and John moved to Mansfield, OH where Beth taught nursery school. In 1982 they moved to Syracuse, NY where she taught Religious Education at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Manlius, (Syracuse) NY. In 1987 Beth and John Moved to Dayton, OH. She taught pre-school children at Wright State Mini-University. In 1993 Beth became the Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE) at Saint Pauls Catholic Church in Yellow Springs, OH. She was also a Church Council Member. She continued in that capacity until 1996 when she began working for Pflaum Publishing Company in Dayton, OH as a sales representative. Pflaum Publishing Group is a division of Bayard, Inc., a Catholic media company owned by the Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists) and serving the K-12 education market. Pflaum publishes a wide range of materials for Catholic religious education including the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Faith Formation Program for preschool through grade 8, Together in Jesus sacramental preparation programs for primary grades, Gifted with the Spirit Confirmation preparation for junior and senior high, Children Celebrate! for Liturgy of the Word with children. Her customers loved her because she got to know each and every one of them on a personal basis and, as a former CRE, she was intimately familiar with all of the Pflaum products. She retired in 2018.As a sales representative she interacted very closely with the Coordinator of Religious Education at Catholic Parishes throughout the USA. She got to know her customers extremely well. Every now and then she would come home and tell me about a Parish that did not have the financial resources to purchase Pflaum Religious Course Material. She would tell me that she purchased whatever program they needed with her credit card. She would say that her mission was to make sure that as many people as possible learn about the love of our Lord and Savior.Every evening Beth would tell me that she is going to take her shower, get comfortable in her “jammies”, and spend some quiet time writing in her “Gratitude Journal.” Every day she would write about all those people and events who positively influenced her life. When I first learned about her doing this I asked if it is was a challenge to always find something good to say. Beth said that you will ALWAYS find something positive if you only take time to ask Our Lord to help you. She also added: “And yes, John, you and many people you know, and don’t know, are in it too!”