Ludwik B Domanski

Ludwik B. Domanski (Papa Lou), 92, a Sandpoint resident since 1988, passed away from age related conditions on Friday, September 16, 2011. His passing followed that of his beloved wife , Grayce Inez Domanski, on June 29, 2011. Lou was born on October 22, 1918, in Siedlce, Poland, the oldest of 4 brothers. As a young man he entered the National Railroad Technical School to study engineering and graduated in 1938. With war clouds looming, Lou shortly thereafter reported to the 18 th Infantry Division Cadet Officers School, where he was quickly made a Senior Rifleman advancing on to the rank of Corporal Warrant Officer. During the September 1939 Defensive Campaign, he was initially captured by the Soviets, but he escaped from the prisoner train. Later, he was captured again by the Soviets and sent to Workuta (in the Komi Soviet Republic) as slave labor to build ditches around army barracks. The Nazi German attack on the Soviet Union allowed him to be released, and on his own he made his way across to Western Europe. In May 1942 he arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, for intensive training at an RAF air base. He was assigned in December 1943 to a Special Duty Flight (later Squadron 301) and in 1944 was promoted to the officer rank of Aircraft Commander. He took part in many air drops to assist the Warsaw Uprising, but eventually his aircraft was shot down during a night mission near Szantes, Hungary. He was captured this third time by the Nazi Germans and spent the remainder of World War II in captivity. This included time at the Stalag Luftwaffe III in Sagan where he made several noted pencil drawings of the prisoners and Stalag prison conditions. For his wartime efforts with the Allied Armed Forces, Lou was decorated with the Virtuti Military Cross, three times with the Cross of Valor, the Polish Air Force Medal, Gold Cross of Merit, the Home Army Medal, and the September 1939 Campaign Medal. He was also decorated five times with various medals by the British Royal Air Force. In 1949 Lou married Georgette Daniels in London, England, where they had met. They sailed from South Hampton to New York in 1951 and eventually settled in Los Angeles. They had three children, Michelle, Patricia and Richard, and their marriage lasted 15 years. In 1958 Lou became a proud American Citizen and he continued his education at UCLA. During his nearly 40 years of professional work in Los Angeles, he was a draftsman, designer, engineer, project office director and a consultant. Lou married Grayce in 1971 and they retired to Sandpoint in 1988, where they remained happily together until their passing three months apart this year. In retirement he loved being a glider instructor at the Moscow Idaho Airport and spending as much time as possible on the airfield. Another of his great loves was playing chess. Papa Lou started a chess program in the Sandpoint schools where he taught children to play and hopefully love the game as much as he did. The local Sandpoint “Chess Festival” is now named in honor of him. Papa Lou also loved to cook and brought his family recipe of bigos from Poland. He taught all his family and friends to make this special family meal and to love it as much as he did. At the age of 85, he left his legacy to his family by writing his memoirs in the book published as “My Flights to Freedom”. Lou is survived by daughter Michelle (husband Bernard) Barrett, Grandson Tyler, daughter Patricia (husband Mike) McCollum, and son Richard (wife Bunlom) Domanski. He was also blessed through Grayce to have a wonderful extended family, including stepchildren and longtime Sandpoint residents Cassadie and Dave Spinney, Rick Katana, and Lance and Laurie Katana. Collectively they had 12 grandkids and 6 great grandkids including Ben, Becky, Justin, Vienna, Gabriella, Sande, Samantha, Marissa, Carrie Lynn, Melissa, Rachel, Tyler, Bella, Jackie, Emma, Brandon, Paxton, and Noah. “Papa Lou”, we all will miss you!