Henry E. Boroski
Memorial Visitation
9:30am-11:00am
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Memorial Service
11:00am
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Inurnment
Following service at St. Hedwig Cemetery
Henry E. Boroski passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on September 26, 2019. Beloved husband of the late Rita (nee Greco) Boroski for 40 wonderful years. Loving father of Grace (Gary) Drouillard, Rozanne (Tom) MacDonald, Brian Boroski, Alan (Amy) Boroski, Robert (William) Boroski-Alcini, and the late JoAnne (Darrell) Kordus. Cherished grandpa of Jamie (Tammy), Jason (Teresa), Christopher (Lisa), Daniell (Terry), Brandon, Mai (Samantha), and Ricky. Dearest great grandpa of Brittney, Chelsea, Justin, Andrew, Hunter, Harley, Breanna, Hayden, Emma, Mason, and Henry. Preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Helen (nee Staszak) Borowski and his brother Leo Boroski (Stacey). He leaves behind many loving family members and friends.
Henry Boroski began his career in the Detroit Fire Department on April 1, 1947, and was assigned to the Fire Training Academy for a six week indoctrination. After completion of school, was assigned to Ladder #11 which was located at Milwaukee and Riopelle. His first fire was a roof fire on a garage, a common fire in those days from coal embers being released into the air. Ladder 11 at that time was renovated from a horse drawn unit and replaced with a motorized front tractor. The trailer was a spring loaded 85 foot aerial ladder which required six to eight men to compress the springs. These compressed springs, when conditions required, would raise the aerial ladder. Hydraulic power does the work today. The companion fire engine #28 one day was first arriving at a factory fire and hooked into the fire hydrant in front of the factory. The fire grew to 5 alarms, the fire engine caught fire, the engineer used a fire hose on the fire engine, but to no avail so he yanked the fire engine from the hydrant to try to save the fire engine – but lost the fight. Thus fire engine #28 was history.
He received several citations for heroism including the coveted bulldog award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He rose through the ranks from Trial Fire Fighter to Senior Fire Chief. The career encompassed 39 years. His favorite trick when on a hydrant pumping detail, with children watching was to shout into the hydrant opening “Fred – is all the water pumped out?” He would then tell Fred to swim (in the underground water main) to the next hydrant. The confused kids would run to the next hydrant not knowing what to expect! His humor manifested itself with the children.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Henry E. Boroski, please visit our floral store.