Zbigniew “Ziggy” Pucek, 62, of Brookfield, died Dec. 26, 2014.
Mr. Pucek was born Dec. 14, 1952 and worked for many years as an employee of the Brookfield Public Works Department.
Bill Brandt, who served as public works director in the early 2000s, remembered that when Mr. Pucek joined the department in the 1980s, he spoke almost no English. A mechanic who spoke Polish served as a translator early on, but by the end of his run with the department Mr. Pucek spoke English fluently. Brandt also recalled that fellow employees had trouble pronouncing Mr. Pucek’s first name.
“No one could pronounce his name, so we just went with Ziggy,” Brandt said.
Mr. Pucek worked in the streets division of the department, doing everything from street maintenance and alley grading in the summer to snow plowing in the winter. He retired from the department on Dec. 15, 2007.
Mr. Pucek was the husband of Anna Pucek (nee Bula); the father of Ralph (Tricia) Pucek and Tom Pucek; the grandfather of Tyler Pucek, Ella Pucek and Aubrey Pucek; and the brother of Halina (Victor) Tereszkowski.
A funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 30 at St. Barbara Church in Brookfield, followed by interment at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice.
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.
