Obituary of Ernest Lester Bajerski

Ernest "Les" Bajerski, age 96, of  Tucson, Arizona, passed away at his home on March 24, 2024. He is survived by his wife; Joan Bajerski, daughter; Nancy (Bob) Haluzak, son; Thomas (Joanna) Bajerski, daughter; Lynne (Ken) Bray, 7 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.  

Les was born in Chicago on January 1, 1928 to Polish immigrants, Angeline and Stefan Bajerski. He was the only boy among three sisters. He joined the Marines at age 17 and became Corporal during his 4 years of service. He went on to automotive tech school, and fulfilled his lifelong passion of being a mechanic, working for Ford and other dealerships. Les was also musically gifted with a wonderful voice. He was the lead singer and a guitarist for the band "The Dick Richards Quartet" and performed at weddings, parties and special events.

In 1955, he met the love of his life, Joan Buongiorno, and in 1956 they married and later welcomed three children; Nancy, Tom and Lynne. Les loved family road trips and had a fond affection for the southwestern desert. In 1976, the entire family relocated to Tucson, Arizona, and Les resumed his career as an auto mechanic for the next 17 years. After he retired at age 65, he went to flight school and lived his dream of getting a pilot's license, doing solo flights to Palm Springs and around Arizona. 

Les loved being a grandparent and was deeply involved in the lives of his 7 grandchildren. That included 4 boys; Michael, Daniel, Keaton, and Nathan, along with 3 girls; Melissa, Jennifer, and Katelyn. He enjoyed attending all of their sports activities, school and special events. He was also a great-grandfather to 4 boys and 6 girls. 

Everyone knew how much he loved photography, and making videos and musical tapes was his longtime hobby. He was a perfectionist in everything he did! He was a devout Catholic man and active parishioner of St. Odilia Catholic Church for 45 years. He is best described as a humble & selfless man, and always sacrificed for his family first. We could not have asked for a more devoted husband, father and grandfather, and we'll miss him greatly with each passing day. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who loved him.

Les was a proud Marine veteran and spoke about his service throughout his life. He always believed the saying, "Once a Marine, always a Marine." In closing, we salute him with a final "Semper Fi" (Marine motto for "Always Faithful").

A visitation will be held on Monday, April 1, 2024 from 5:00PM-8:00PM at Adair Funeral Homes-Avalon Chapel, 8090 N Northern Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85704. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00AM on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at St. Odilia Catholic Church, 7570 N. Paseo Del Norte, Tucson, AZ 85704