A service to celebrate the life of Theodore (“Ted”) Grabowski’s 88 years of life is scheduled at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers, followed by a graveside service at Peaceful Gardens Memorial Park Cemetery. A loving husband and father, Ted died on Friday, May 19, 2023 and went to be with the Lord. Please visit this page for a service broadcasting schedule, floral purchasing, and an area to share stories of Ted with his family.
Ted Grabowski was born August 14, 1934, to John and Frances Aniol Grabowski in Little Falls, NY. He married Patricia (“Pat”) Lewis on December 30, 1964 at First Baptist Church in Port St. Joe, FL.
Ted grew up in Little Falls, NY and graduated from Little Falls High School in June of 1952. Shortly after graduation, he joined the United States Navy where he trained and served as a radio man. He served from May 19, 1953 until June 17, 1957 and was among the first crew to sail on the USS John Paul Jones (DD-932), which was commissioned April 5, 1956.
After his period of service concluded, Ted attended the Central Technical Institute in Kansas City, MO, where he graduated on November 20, 1959 with an Associate of Science Degree in Electronics, Radio, and Television Technology. From there he began working for Vitro Corporation of America, participating in a number of interesting test activities for the Air Force at Eglin AFB, Florida. While he was working at Cape San Blas and living in Port St. Joe, he met Pat. Within a few years he moved to Nevada to work at the test ranges with another company who contracted with NASA, and after a couple of years there he transferred to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio where his son Theodore Christopher (“Chris”) was born. In 1972 Ted began working for the Federal Aviation Administration as an electronics technician and moved his family to Lubbock, TX, where he stayed until retiring on January 2, 2002.
While living in Nevada, Ted and Pat began exploring every scenic area and dirt road in the state and in the neighboring states. When in Lubbock, and after purchasing an RV for a temporary residence while attending training in Oklahoma City, Ted expanded that earlier interest in outdoor activities to include RV camping with his family every summer. Ted and Pat both greatly enjoyed traveling on the open roads and continued this well past retirement. Only once did he fly anywhere for a vacation: to Hawaii, and that, of course, was because he could not pull the RV there.
Ted was a man of faith who believed in the foundational truths of the Scriptures and enjoyed the traditional liturgies of the less-modern churches. When many churches were closed during the pandemic, Ted found the teaching of Pastor Jeffress at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, TX to be a source of hope, and when churches began opening again and he could attend in person, he found the worship experience that he enjoyed most at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Lubbock. Both were a source of encouragement as he struggled with health issues earlier in the year and could no longer attend in person.
Ted is survived by his wife, Pat Grabowski; son, Chris (Christine) Grabowski; grandchildren, Elise Grabowski, and Josiah Grabowski.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John Grabowski and Frances Grabowski; siblings, Nellie Arnold, Frances Prestopnik, John Grabowski, Joseph Grabowski, and Walter Grabowski.
To send flowers to the family or place a tree in memory of Ted Grabowski, please visit our Tribute Store.
