We have all had our lives enriched by people we have encountered during our lifetimes — people who have lived exemplary lives.
I have written about a few of these very special people over the years and today, I offer another — Bernadine Borinski.
Mrs. Borinski, 93, of Plymouth, passed away peacefully Friday, Sept. 18, at Allied Services, Wilkes-Barre.
I will remember a lot about Mrs. Borinski — her love of family, friends, church, and community are at the forefront. But I also remember her smile, which always highlighted her dimples.
And Mrs. Borinski was always so pleasant and genuinely interested in everything she did and she always wanted to do all she could to make everyone and everything better.
When I think of people like Mrs. Borinski and their exemplary way of living, I think of the famous poem, “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis.
The poem talks about people attending a funeral and staring at a tombstone that had the name of the deceased and their date of birth and date of death — the two dates separated by a dash.
That dash represents all the time one person had spent on God’s Earth. In Mrs. Borinski’s case, it was 93-plus years.
Every human being will have that dash on their grave marker, but few outside their circle of family and friends will ever know what that dash actually represents. As the poem says, that dash is what matters most of all — it represents how each had spent their time on Earth.
“What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash,” the poem reads.
Mrs. Borinski’s dash represents a life well-lived. A life filled with love and dedication to her children day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.
Mrs. Borinski’s example is one that should be documented and recorded somewhere to be used as the model for how to be a parent, a friend, a community servant.
Look no further than her obituary and you find all the evidence you need to see that Mrs. Borinski set an exemplary example for all of us to admire and to follow.
Her obituary notes:
She married her late dear husband, Michael, on June 1, 1957. They were married for 46 years before Mike passed away in October 2003.
Together they enjoyed taking care of their grandkids, trips to Atlantic City, time spent on the beach, and cheering for Pennsylvania teams like the Phillies and the Eagles. Although Michael preceded her in death, he remained an enduring presence in Bernardine’s life and heart.
Mrs. Borinski was a member of numerous organizations, including Polish Women’s Alliance, Plymouth Republican Women, St. Mary’s Church Auxiliary, Arts at Hayfield and the Rose Tucker Active Adult Center in Nanticoke. She was always there to support groups to which her children belonged like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts helping with yearly trips, projects, and camp weeks.
Mrs. Borinski was co-chairperson for Plymouth’s Centennial Celebration in 1966 and was a dedicated poll worker in Ward 2 for many years as judge of elections/minority inspector.
Her membership in the Plymouth Women’s Club/General Federation of Women’s Clubs truly became one of her life’s major and favorite commitments belonging to the organization for more than 64 years. During this time, she held many offices locally and statewide include President of Luzerne County, Northeastern District Director, Parliamentary Advisor, Chairman of the Arts and Chairman of Conservation. She directed the GFWC state election committee and was a good friend and valued mentor to women across the state of Pennsylvania.
She was a volunteer for the Blind Association helping to get children ready for their eye tests in local grade schools for over 30 years, helped many friends to clean-up after the Agnes Flood, supported her church, St. Mary’s/All Saints, and with her Plymouth Women’s Club made hundreds of pounds of chocolate fudge to raise funds for the organization.
So much and I didn’t even get into the dedication she had to her children and grandchildren — always attending all they were involved in and then some.
When you work in the newspaper business, you meet a lot of people. And when you get involved in your community, that number grows exponentially.
That said, I have met many people from all walks of life — from presidents to homeless folks and thousands in between. Each person has a story, as we all do. Some are worth remembering, others not so much.
Of all the people I have met, only a few are held in high regard — even less in the highest regard.
When I was growing up in Plymouth, the neighborhood was filled with great people who had many things in common. They loved their families, their friends, their homes, their heritage, their faith. Each house was a home filled with the smells of good cooking, the sounds of children, the loyalty of patriotism and the promise of the future — especially for the children.
Mrs. Borinski was among those, as we referred to them, “good people.”
Like so many, I am saddened by Mrs. Borinski’s passing, yet I feel enriched in just knowing who she was and how she lived.
I will never forget her, especially when I drive my her big house of Shawnee Avenue.
And she will live forever in every generation of her family that will follow.
God bless her and may she rest in peace.