Julius Gryckiewicz

BARRE, VT – Dr. Julius “Jules” Gryckiewicz of Putnam, CT, passed away peacefully at the age of ninety-four on February 22, 2025, at Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Barre, VT, surrounded by his family. Born in New Britain, CT, on April 12, 1930, Jules was the middle of five children of Joseph Gryckiewicz and Helen (Kasinski) Gryckiewicz who immigrated from Poland shortly before his birth. After graduating from high school, Jules joined the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and was the first of the friars ordained in the Eastern Rite, giving his first Mass at the tomb of St. Peter in Rome. Jules pursued his education, earning a bachelor’s degree from St. Pius X Seminary in Saranac Lake, NY, and a master’s degree from Fairfield University. While in Saranac Lake, he met his future wife, Donna, for whom he later left the priesthood. He became a professor of education at the University of Vermont, earning a master’s degree in education there and ultimately a PhD from the University of...