Joseph Patrick Dombrowski, age 79, of Allendale, went to his heavenly home on Thursday, June 16, 2022. He was a parishioner of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Some of Joseph’s favorite pastimes included watching the Lions games, enjoying a glass of red wine after dinner, and visiting waterfalls when traveling. Joseph was able to travel with his wife, Judy, to places including Hawaii, Rome, and cruises to Alaska, Istanbul, and the Caribbean and Mediterranean areas. He was a loving husband, father, papa, great-grandpa, and his son, Joey, became a blessing to all his family and friends. Joseph will be missed for his gentle spirit, willingness to help anyone in need, and his humble wisdom and experience he shared. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Lena Dombrowski; and brothers, Doug Dombrowski and Gene Dombrowski. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 30 years, Judy; children, Deb (Mark) Paradowski, Joseph Jr., Susan (Joel) Nemes; stepchildren, Kimberley (Rodney Allen) Toms, Patrick (Stephanie) Toms, Rebecca Parker; grandchildren, Corey, Kayla-lea, Vaughn, Cameron, Isaac, Finnley, Kieyana, Jordyn, Jada, Samuel, Zachary; great-grandchildren, Evie, Adie, Jayla, Rexcel; brother, Marty Dombrowski; many nieces, nephews and dear friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 2700 Baldwin St., Jenison, with Fr. Colin Mulhall presiding. Burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet the family Friday, June 24, from 4-7 p.m., with a Vigil Rosary service to begin at 7 p.m. at Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf Funeral Home (Allendale) 6651 Scott St. An hour of visitation will also be held Saturday from 9-10 a.m. prior to the service at the church. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Special Olympics (https://www.specialolympics.org/) or Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.

The truth about obituaries is that you cannot sum up a person’s life in 500 words or less. It’s impossible. Were they honest? Did they treat people well? Would they give you the shirt off their back? If you asked anyone who knew my dad those questions they would say: yes, yes and yes. He was kind. He cared about everyone. He believed in always doing the right thing, no matter what. He also perfected the art of long-form lectures. I received so many of them growing up that I started to number them and would tease him about going back to lecture #43 – don’t burn your candle at both ends (I got that one quite a bit). Sometimes I wondered if he knew what he was doing as a parent. Then I had kids myself and realized that he was doing pretty much what every parent does – making it up as you go along. And I appreciated him as a Dad all the more for that. He loved red wine. But not the expensive kind. He loved Franzia, which comes in a box and was a regular staple in our refrigerator. He never drank too much – just a glass after dinner as he was watching the news or coming up with a new lecture based on something I did or did not do. And he loved the Lions. Poor man. Talk about loving something that will never love you back no matter how many coaching changes are made or dollars that are invested. He loved his church. He loved his friends. And he loved his family. Sounds cliché, but if there ever was a life well lived, it was his. It’s okay to feel sad at his passing as I’m sure many of you do. I’m crying as I write these words. But I am comforted by the fact that his legacy lives on in his family, in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and in every life he touched in the nearly 80 years we were lucky enough to have him on this earth. – Susan (Dombrowski) Nemes