Zenner Grzegorek

Zenner Stephen Grzegorek, 74, of Queen Creek died on Sept. 1, 2012, at home.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at J. Warren Funeral Services, Cole & Maud The Gardens Chapel in Casa Grande, with rosary recited at 7. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at Assumption Catholic Church in Florence by the Rev. Dale Branson. Burial will be at 1 p.m. in National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, in Phoenix.
Mr. Grzegorek was born on Oct. 22, 1937, in Detroit and was a son of Zenner and Helen Grzegorek. He served in the Coast Guard, with part of his service at a remote island lighthouse in Lake Superior. He spent his free time hitchhiking back to Detroit to see his fiancee, Ilene Adams. After his service he earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Detroit. He and Ilene married on April 11, 1959.
He had a distinguished career with the U.S. courts as a probation and parole officer and later with the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Prisons. He rose from caseworker and corrections officer to warden and eventually was director of the Northeast Region, based in Philadelphia. He served in Danbury, Conn., Tallahassee, Fla., and Petersburg, Va., and was recognized as a troubleshooter in events such as riots and hostage situations, most notably in Oakdale, La., and Graterford, Pa. He was commended and recognized in the Congressional Record in 1981. He was instrumental in prisoner exchanges, returning U.S. citizens from abroad, most notably from Turkey.
He adored his family and retired in 1988, a year after the birth of his first grandson. He loved the outdoors and shared his passions with his two grandchildren. He and his wife moved to Queen Creek in 2003 and he volunteered with the Pinal County Victim Services Unit. In May 2011 he earned the Pinal County Sheriff's Office Excellence in Volunteerism award.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years; a daughter, Kathleen Grzegorek of Pasadena, Calif.; a son, Michael Grzegorek of Chandler; two sisters, Deanna Brusinski of Southfield, Mich., and Christine Grzegorek of Casa Grande; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a sister, Geraldine Hynes.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pinal County Victim Services Unit.