Stanley (“Ski”) Joseph Wrotniewski was born in Fort Benning, Georgia to Hannah and Joseph Wrotniewski on November 14th, 1959. He spent his childhood moving around, as his father served in the United States Army before settling down at West Point, where he had the rank of Full Bird Colonel. Ski continued the frequent moves, serving 12 years in the United States Air Force. 

Although he moved frequently, he wasn’t short people to talk to, a trait he passed on to both of his children, Nick and Rachel. He’d make you a quick friend if you let him, but you’d have to be open to talking about sports, politics, or his kids. He was also quick to make friends with employees at restaurants, which is less surprising, as he’d frequent his favorite places - RT Smiths Deli, Angelles, and Cracker Barrel. When it came to food, as long as coconut, pineapple and mayonnaise weren’t on it, he was likely to eat it, but vanilla milkshakes, unsweet tea with no lemon, tacos with rice and beans, pepperoni pizza, burgers with vegetable medley, and salmon were his top choices. When he wasn’t eating at nearby restaurants, he was always satisfied sitting on his recliner in the basement watching tv and movies or working for New Hope Support Services as a Qualified Mental Health Provider. Regardless of what he was doing, you could expect to see him wearing new balance sneakers, blue blockers sunglasses, and his fitbit on his wrist, all while loudly chomping on cinnamon gum.  

Ski pursued a Bachelors degree in psychology while swimming at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. To his absolute thrill, he would get to watch his daughter compete in the same conference about 40 years later, as she swam for Clarion University of Pennsylvania, a competitor of Shippensburg. Ski also obtained his Masters degree from Boston University in Counseling, and to his delight, both his son and daughter would receive Masters degrees of their own.

Ski also enjoyed running and playing soccer. As he got older, he swam Masters swimming alongside his daughter before taking a backseat to competing and prided himself in becoming her biggest cheerleader. When she tried out for soccer in the 9th grade, he drove 1.5 hours to sit in the bleachers at a distance while she tried out, and met her on the field at the end of try outs to surprise her before driving 1.5 hours back home. When she swam in college, he drove 7 hours to watch her swim finals in the 100 free before driving 7 hours back home in the same day. And when she decided to dabble in Triathlons and AquaBikes, he was there, too - never missing a single one of her competitions.

He liked to participate in many activities and sports, but mostly he liked winning. After receiving an ALS diagnosis, he was being observed walking on a treadmill by a physical therapist to evaluate his gait. When asked to stop walking, he asked, “Did I win?” It had to be explained to him that there were no winners and losers in this case. But not to Ski - to Ski, there were always winners.

And a winner he was. He won the battle he faced against ALS through his bravery, strength, and his continued happiness and appreciation for the simple things despite the loss of so many things. And on February 9th, 2023, he went home to Heaven, spending his final moments with his daughter and son-in-law holding his hand, kissing his head, rubbing his arm, and telling him how sweet Heaven was about to be. He ended the journey as he lived the journey - calmly, patiently, gracefully, and peacefully.

Ski was met in Heaven by his mom, dad and brother, Michael. I imagine his dog, Abby, was also happy to see him once again, and likely received belly rubs from him rather quickly. He left behind his beloved children, Nick and Rachel, but he left them behind knowing they would be well cared for and wildly loved by their mom’s, Liz and Vicki, and their spouses, Elizabeth and Esteban.

His fight is over, but ours isn’t - let’s keep fighting to End ALS.

In lieu of flowers, we’d ask for a donation to “A Long Swim” or the “ALS Association” - see direct links below.

A Long Swim is linked here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ra…

Th ALS Association is linked here: https://tinyurl.com/RachelALS…">https://tinyurl.com/RachelALS… 

Both are organizations that support those in the fight against ALS, and are working to make ALS a livable disease, and ultimately exist to help find a cure. 

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/stanley-wrotniewski/obituary/

Copy