Maria W. Szaruga

August 15, 1954 - November 28, 2015

Maria W. (Pudelko) Szaruga, 61, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, November 28, 2015, with her loving family by her side. Born in Tarnogrod, Poland on August 15, 1954, daughter of Helena Wanda (Rudnicka) Tara and the late Wladyslaw Pudelko, she has resided in Chicopee for forty years. Maria was a communicant of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr, and served her parish as a Eucharistic Minister. She was a thirty-seven year employee of Smith & Wesson Manufacturing and an avid New England Patriots fan. Her beautiful flower gardens were the pride of her neighborhood. Maria is survived by her beloved husband of thirty-five years, Richard Szaruga; devoted daughter, Joanne W. Szaruga; loving mother, Helena Tara of Poland; sister, Grazyna Stachowiak of New York, and brothers, Adam Pudelko and his wife Henryka of Chicopee, Tadeusz Tara and his wife Bogumila of Poland and Jacek Tara and his wife Bozena of Poland; and many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by her stepfather, Michal Tara. Funeral services for Maria will be held Thursday at 9AM from Kozikowski Funeral Home, 565 Front St., Chicopee, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10AM in St. Stanislaus Basilica. Burial will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. Calling hours are Wednesday from 4-7PM.