Lech S Papiez

Lech Stanisław Papież passed away peacefully in Mooresville, Indiana on April 15, 2016 at the age of 66.

Lech is survived by his mother, Eugenia Papież of Sosnowiec, Poland; his wife, Ewa Papież of Mooresville, Indiana; his daughter, Maja Murphy of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; his son, Adam Papież of Poznań, Poland; and his sister Ewa Wejmann of Buk, Poland. He is preceded in death by his father, Stanisław Papież of Sosnowiec, Poland.

Lech was born on March 12, 1950 in Sosnowiec, Poland. He studied at the Uniwersytet Śląski Instytut Fizyki in Katowice Poland and earned a PhD in theoretical physics. He married Ewa Popiołek in 1977. After the birth of their first child, Maja, he moved to Dublin, Ireland on a research fellowship at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, School of Theoretical Physics. In 1984, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where his son, Adam was born. His children remember him as a loving, brilliant and compassionate father who encouraged them to pursue their goals.

Lech’s family moved a few more times before settling in Indiana. Lech devoted his life to cancer research and pursued his life’s work at Indiana University School of Medicine in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He was a prominent researcher, professor, patent holder and extensively published medical physicist. He was instrumental in designing an extremely effective radiation treatment for early-stage lung cancer saving over 3,000 lives a year. Lech was a witty individual who loved skiing, swimming, winning chess games and ballroom dancing. He served as the historian for the Indiana Polish Cultural Society in his spare time. He was a lifelong student, passionate teacher and everyone who knew him enjoyed his stimulating, intellectual conversations.

A funeral is scheduled for Saturday April 23, 2016 at noon at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Mooresville, Indiana with a reception following the service at the church. Family and friends will gather in the chapel at Carlisle-Branson Funeral Service & Crematory in Mooresville from 10:30 am until 11:30 am on Saturday. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Lech’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society at https://donate.cancer.org/index or to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at https://theaftd.givezooks.com/grassroots_fundraisers/running-for-ftd-research. Visit www.CarlisleBranson.com to share a favorite memory with Lech’s family and view his Life Tribute video.

The family would like to thank Lech’s caregivers at Worthington Place for their kind care and dedication.