Marian Goral

Marian Goral April 1, 1923 - January 3, 2020

A decorated veteran, Marian, like many other members of the Greatest Generation was proudest of his military service in WWII. Born in Poland, into a family of 12, Marian was a teenager when he and his siblings were arrested during the Soviet invasion of Poland.

They were forcibly deported into a slave labor camp in Kazakhstan. There, Marian barely survived a near-fatal bout of typhus. When General Anders formed the Polish army under British command, Marion and his family made a harrowing journey to Teheran where he and his siblings enlisted.

Marian became a paratrooper. He was injured during one of his more famous drops in the battle of Arnhem in the occupied Netherlands; The WWII Allied airborne operation memorialized in the films "A Bridge too Far" and "Band of Brothers'. The Allies sustained devastating losses during that compromised campaign.

Marian met his future wife, Lydia, in London after WWII. They were married in 1950 and immigrated to the United State in 1956. Their marriage lasted 68 years. Lydia preceded Marian in death in May 2018. Marian originally settled in East Chicago, Indiana to be with his surviving parents, family and friends. In the 60's, the couple moved to Munster, Indiana. Marian retired from Hammond Valve Corporation as a tool maker.

Friends joked he never met a machine he couldn't fix. He also loved his 10-speed racing bikes. Marian, a devout Catholic, was a member of St. Stanislaus church in East Chicago for over 50 years. He also attended mass faithfully at the Carmelite Shrine in Munster. Marian passed away peacefully at Journey Senior Living on January 3, 2020.

He leaves behind many nieces and nephews: Hetty and Barb Bohusz, Kenneth Goral, Helmut, Zyg and Gobby Goral, Jerry and Chris Hoffman and Eva Lewandowski. He is also survived by his sister, Helen Lewandowski of North Ft. Myers. Long-time friends include June Wojcik and Lillian and Mark Matiukas.

A Visitation will be held Friday, January 10, 2020 at 10am DIRECTLY at Carmelite Fathers Church, 1628 Ridge Road Munster, IN  Funeral Mass will follow at 11am from Carmelite Fathers Church.

 Burial  will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calumet City, IL

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Munster Humane Society.