Ted Valentine Zielinski 1927 – 2022 TOPSHAM – Ted Valentine Zielinski passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. Born on Valentine’s Day, 1927 in Wabrzezno, Poland, Ted witnessed firsthand the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. In the spring of 1945, Ted was forcibly taken from his home by German troops to dig trenches against the Russian Pomeranian offensive. This event cast long shadows over his entire life. Ted escaped the labor camp and fled across Nazi Germany to the American lines. He then served in the Free Polish Army in Italy. At the war’s end, he went to England to help rebuild that country. At a Sheffield town hall dance, he met the love of his life, Elsie Lindley, whose family loved him as one of their own. In 1955, the couple immigrated to Detroit, Mich. where Ted spent 33 years as a wood model and pattern maker at GM. In 1988 “Ted and Elsie” retired to Topsham to be near their three cherished grandsons. They brought immeasurable joy to their lives. Ted could do anything, from improving a tool, to teaching himself oil painting, to playing the harmonica, to making every gathering full of laughter. He will be sorely missed. Surviving Ted are his beloved wife of 70 years, Elsie Zielinski; daughter, Victoria (Tip) Koehler of Brunswick; cherished grandsons Jeff (Cleo Bell), Erich (Kristen), Ted (Jess Rice), all of Maine; and his precious great-grandson, Camden. A daughter, Julia Ann, predeceased Ted in 1960. A private burial will take place at St John’s Cemetery, Brunswick. Memories and condolences can be shared at http://www.brackettfh.com . In lieu of gifts, the family requests you reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust, lest we never forget.

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