William J. Niemiec, Jr., 87, passed away peacefully on Saturday August 31, 2019 at the CT Baptist Home. He was the husband of Patricia (Zilly) Niemiec, his loving wife of 58 years.

Born on April 2, 1932 he was the son of the late William J. Niemiec, Sr. and Mary (Szalankiewicz) Niemiec. A lifelong resident of Meriden, Bill attended local schools, was a graduate of Meriden High School and a parishioner of St. Mary Church. He was a graduate of The University of Notre Dame and proudly served in the United States Marines as a 1 ^st Lieutenant. Bill was employed as a New England District Sales Manager for G. Whitfield Richard from where he retired. He was a Past Vice President of the Meriden Board of Education and an active member of the Elks Club, Meriden Lodge and the Polish Falcons.

A skilled swimmer, Bill became a Lifeguard Captain at Hammonasset and he also won many medals, swimming for the Polish Falcons. He had a deep routed interest in history and was an avid fan of the University of Notre Dame Football, the Boston Red Sox and UCONN Basketball. Bill enjoyed hunting, fly-fishing, tennis and golf. He was also an accomplished piano player.  A beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, Bill will be greatly missed.

Besides his wife Patricia, Mr. Niemiec is survived by his three sons: Paul Niemiec and his wife Lynn of Wallingford, Jay Niemiec of Meriden, Kurt Niemiec and his wife Kim of South Windsor; his daughter Chris Hendrickson and her husband Andy of Meriden; a sister, Gloria Potrepka of Plantsville; nine grandchildren: Elizabeth Niemiec Kromer, Wesley Niemiec, Emily Niemiec, Ryan Niemiec, Jonathan Niemiec, A.J. Hendrickson, Anna Hendrickson, Kate Niemiec, Jake Niemiec; three great grandchildren: Zachary Kromer, Jordan Niemiec, Aidan Niemiec and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff at the CT Baptist Home for the wonderful and compassionate care given to Bill.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday September 6 ^th at 10:00 a.m. directly at St. Stanislaus Church. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to pay their respects on Thursday evening September 5 ^th from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.at the Stempien Funeral Home, 450 Broad St., Meriden. To send an online expression of sympathy please visit www.stempienfuneralhome.com .

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of William J. Niemiec, Jr may be made to the Antique Veterans', Meriden Senior Center, 22 West Main St., Meriden, CT 06451 or the American Parkinson's Disease Association, CT Chapter, PO Box 248, Shelton, CT 06484 or www.apdaparkinson.org.