May 6, 1942 – October 14, 2023
Ted Sosnowski was in the Army when he began to discover how valuable his math aptitude was.
He served in Germany’s 8th Infantry Division and was attached to the Finance Corps. One of his duties was to distribute salaries. His son Douglas said he was the most popular man in the unit.
Until then, Sosnowski had set his sights on a career as a pharmacist. He took the required courses during his freshman year at Fordham University in New York City, but was unable to continue due to financial reasons. So he enlisted.
What I learned in the Army served me well when I returned to the corporate world. He became chief financial officer of Sherwood, a manufacturer of propane tank valves and scuba diving equipment.
He died at his home in Williamsville on October 14 after a long period of declining health. He was 81 years old.
Theodore S. Sosnowski was born in Niagara Falls, the son of a Hooker Chemical Company welder and the eldest of two boys.
He attended Sacred Heart School, La Salle Junior High School, and Bishop Duffy High School, an all-boys school, where he was an active member of the chess club and debating society, graduating in 1960.
In high school, he met Patricia A. Gervasi at a picnic at Saint John de La Salle Catholic Church. Both their families were parishioners. He wrote to her regularly while in the army, and they married in May 1965 in Saint-Jon-de-LaSalle.
By that time, he was working with Carborundum in Niagara Falls using computers in data processing. He earned an associate’s degree from his community college in Niagara County and quickly rose through the ranks. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Capital University in Ohio.
In the early 1970s, he joined Sherwood in Lockport and served as plant controller when parent company Hill-Acme transferred him to Cleveland in 1979.
As a business executive, Mr. Sosnowski was a firm believer that self-insurance for medical and liability benefits was the best policy for the company, and traveled frequently both in the United States and abroad to litigate liability cases, his son said.
After Hill Acme was acquired, he became vice president of finance and administration and returned to the Sherwood plant in Lockport in 1985, where he also served as director of human resources.
After retiring in 2000, he served as business administrator for Christ the King Catholic Church in Snyder for seven years.
Mr. Sosnowski was active at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church for 37 years, serving as a Eucharistic minister, singing in the choir, leading the Parish Missionary Workshop, and helping to establish the Chapel of Perpetual Worship.
A father of five boys, he served as an assistant scoutmaster and led numerous Boy Scout camps and camping expeditions to Allegany State Park. He also coached youth baseball.
“He was a great manager,” his son said. “He made sure that marginalized children were under his wing. He loved the underdog.”
He enjoyed fishing with his friends, son, and grandchildren, and in retirement became proficient in woodworking.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, who taught preschoolers, and five sons, Brian, Douglas, Michael, Stephen, and Jason. and nine grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Gregory the Great Church, 200 St. Gregory Court, Maple Road, Amherst.
Email danderson@buffnews.com.
