A Final Farewell to Kazimierz Dopke
It is with deep regret and great sadness that we bear the news of the passing of
KAZIMIERZ DOPKE on 8 February 2025.
Long-serving steward on board the Dar Pomorza and Dar Młodzieży training ships.
The Rector, Senate, staff at the Maritime Operations Department, crew of the Dar Młodzieży and Horyzont II, and staff and students at Gdynia Maritime University extend their deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
A funeral Mass will be held at 10:45 on 13 February at the St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Gdynia.
The burial service will take place on the same day at 12:00 at the Cemetery in Pierwoszyno.
In Memoriam
Kazimierz Dopke (1939-2025)
A member of staff at our University for more than 40 years, Kazimierz Dopke held the posts of chief steward on the Dar Pomorza and Dar Młodzieży, and cook on Horyzont II. He was also well known as the creator of ship models in bottles.
He was born on 30 June 1939 in Wejherowo. He began work at the Maritime School in 1963 as a driver. In 1971, he applied for a gastronomy internship on board Dar Pomorza. His application was strongly supported by Captain Kazimierz Jurkiewicz. Steward Eugeniusz Wróblewski wrote: "The most important criterion is the candidate's personality, and I consider this candidacy worthy of recommendation". He served on both ships, holding the positions of assistant steward, steward, and chief steward until his retirement in 2001.
He was a well-known, valued member of the maritime community. His passion was model building. His models of ships in bottles have been presented at national exhibitions, where they placed highly in competitions, as well as on the University's training ships during stays in international ports.
In the year 2000, he was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit and a second-degree Rector's award.
Translated from the original written by Małgorzata Sokołowska
Kazimierz Dopke was the focus of an article written by Michał Dąbrowski and published in No. 43/2020 of the Akademicki Kurier Morski:
