Marzena Alicja Kornafel

Marzena Alicja Kornafel, 75, of Royal Palm Beach, FL, passed away on March 8, 2025, at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, surrounded by her family, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and other overlaying illnesses. Marzena, born on April 9, 1949, in Garbatka Letnisko, Poland, was the beloved wife for over 50 years to Adam Andrzej Kornafel. She met Adam at 7 years old when he accidentally knocked over her basket of flowers while she was walking home. They were high school sweethearts, marrying on August 3, 1974, in Wroclaw, Poland. Marzena, the daughter of Alicja Więckowska and Ryszard Więckowski, was raised in Wroclaw, where she graduated from the University of Wroclaw with a Master’s degree in psychology. After graduation, Marzena was a professor at the university, working at the same time on her PhD dissertation. She was a member of SOLIDARNOŚĆ, (SOLIDARITY), a broad anti-authoritarian social movement which used methods of civil resistance; it worked to advance the causes of workers' rights and social changes in Poland. Oppressed by the communist regime, she defected from her beloved country. She left Poland in October 1981, right before marshal law was imposed in December of 1981. She relocated to Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria, to join Adam in the first of their international homes with their first daughter, Joanna. Two years later, Marzena and Adam moved to freezing Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where their second daughter, Sophie, was born. Marzena, Adam, their children, and their rescue dog, Siuśka, immigrated to the USA to Houston, TX, ultimately settling in West Hartford, CT. Marzena stayed home with Joanna and Sophie, ensuring they received a proper upbringing, remained fluent in Polish, learned how to garden, and knew how to cook gourmet meals influenced by global cultures and flavors. Marzena eventually returned to work as a social worker for the Department of Children and Families for the State of Connecticut, where she worked until 2000. She was 6 weeks away from completing her second master’s degree, in Social Work, when her life and her professional future were devastated by a car accident. Eventually, Marzena and Adam permanently relocated to Royal Palm Beach in 2015. A voracious reader, Marzena never left a bookstore without at least one tome to peruse. She would spend hours in her garden, planting hundreds of tulip bulbs, her favorite flowers. After her retirement, Marzena took up painting, creating colorful abstract works that adorn their family home. She loved animals, and her home was never without a furry four-legged companion. However, Marzena’s true gifts to the world, aside from her beauty, were her intelligence, kindness, empathy, and elegance. Her red hair drew people to her, but her vibrant personality and sense of humor kept them at her side. Her laugh was infectious, and those who were blessed to know Marzena mourn her loss deeply. “She died as she lived, everyone’s friend”! Besides her husband, Adam, Marzena leaves behind her two daughters: Joanna M. Kornafel and her husband, Austin Berescik-Johns, and their two children, of West Hartford, CT; and Sophie Anna Kornafel of West Palm Beach, FL. She is survived by her sister, Bozena Wieckowska of Wroclaw, Poland, and her many cousins, including Yvonne Gilliland and her husband, Tyrone Collins, of New Orleans, LA, as well as countless dear friends. Calling hours will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, after which funeral services will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Palms West Funeral Home at 110 Business Park Way, Royal Palm Beach, FL. Graveside services will be at 1:00 p.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery, 10941 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, FL. Following interment, the family will receive friends at their home in Royal Palm Beach to celebrate Marzena’s life. The family expresses their heartfelt appreciation for the kindness, exceptional care and outpouring of support we have received for Marzena at every step of the way. Online condolences may be made at www.palmswestfuneralhome.com. Please consider planting a tree in Marzena’s memory.

Marzena Alicja Kornafel

April 9, 1949 - March 8, 2025