Barbara S. Zielinski peacefully passed on March 27, 2026. She was born in Krakow, Poland in December 1936 to Feliks and Zofia (Dziekan) Karas. Educated in Poland with a degree in Early Childhood Education, she was director of a preschool in Krakow until she met and married Alexander M. Zielinski in 1962. She emigrated to the US in 1963. Her husband, children and family were the center of her life. She leaves sons Paul (Julie), Mark (Lisa), and Michael (Jane) along with nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She was a communicant of the former Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Springfield and was a member of Polish Women’s Alliance and other Polish cultural organizations. Barbara loved to cook, and lovingly shared delicious meals, recipes, and cooking techniques with the family. She will be greatly missed.
Funeral services for Barbara will be Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 9:00 AM at the Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home, 64 Sewall St, Ludlow, MA followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM in Christ the King Church, Warsaw Ave., Ludlow. Rite of Christian Burial will be in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Springfield, MA. Visiting hours at the funeral home will be Monday, April 6, 2026 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org or the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.
Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home
Our sincere condolences.
The staff of Kapinos-Mazur Funeral Home.