Elizabeth Cwik

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – Elizabeth Bauer Cwik, 92, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2022 at her lifelong home. She was born on March 18, 1930 in Kingston, NY, the daughter of Ernest G. Bauer Sr. and Helen (Hamm) Bauer. On November 11, 1951 she married the lateVincent J. Cwik Sr. who predeceased her in 1984.

A beloved and caring mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend, Elizabeth was a lover of family, friends, and food. She was known for cooking her homemade spaetzle, beef barley soup, chili, cheesecake, and many more delicious meals. Elizabeth would also never turn down a sweet treat. Her kitchen was always stocked with Oreos, Klondike Bars, ice cream and her secretly “hidden in the chair cushion” M&M Peanuts. Elizabeth was a lover of traveling, reading romance novels, watching John Wayne movies, drinking coffee, and spending time with animals, especially dogs. She traveled to all parts of the world, from Hong Kong to Germany, to Alaska, and many other parts of the US, collecting decorative plates as a memory of her travels. She looked back at her adventures and always said, “I never regret any of it,” and encouraged all of her children and grandchildren to do the same. 

Family and close friends knew Elizabeth as “Oma,” and “Betty” but to her boys she was their beloved Mom. Betty Boop was her favorite cartoon, in which she owned all types of merchandise; her license plate even said “Boopers.” Betty’s sense of humor and wittiness would light up a room and it never dulled even through tough times. Oma also enjoyed singing and listening to all types of music especially German and Polish music. Some of her favorites were “Oklahoma” and “Ein Prosit.” 

Besides Poughkeepsie, NY, Betty loved the Maine coast. She was able to share that love with her children and grandchildren as they traveled there for many summers. This love for Maine translated into her home: lighthouses, sailboats, and the bright blue sea would decorate every room of her house.  

Betty was a retired registered nurse, a profession she knew was her only calling at a young age. She graduated from the Vassar Hospital School of Nursing, was employed as an RN at Vassar Brothers Hospital and a School Nurse in the Poughkeepsie School District before retiring as an RN from the Veteran Affairs Center in Montrose, NY. She enjoyed her work and always had interesting stories to share.  

She was preceded in death by her sons Alan V. Cwik and Vincent J. Cwik Jr., and is survived by her son Ronald B. Cwik and his wife Carol of Burbank, California, her son Daniel E. Cwik and his wife Jean of Poughkeepsie, NY and daughter-in-law Marta Cwik and her significant other Frank Lewandowski of Highland, NY, grandchildren Amberle Bond, Briana Beal, Caitlyn Davis, Derek Cwik, Kelly Cwik, Jennifer Cwik, Natalia Cwik, Michael Cwik, Zachary Cwik, and eight great-grandchildren. 

Visitation will be Sunday, September 11, 2022 from 2-5 PM at the Joseph J. Darrow Sr. Funeral Home, INC, 39 South Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, September 12, 2022, 10AM  at St. Mary's Church, 231 Church St. Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Burial will follow in the Cwik family plot in St. Joseph's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Hudson Valley Hospice via the following link https://www.hvhospice.org or mail donations to 80 Washington Ave, Suite 204, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Please add in the memo line- “In Memory of Elizabeth B Cwik”t. If you wish to send a condolence online, please visit our website at https://www.darrowfuneralhome.org/.

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