Greg Kolasinski passed away on Sept. 26 from a rare form of cancer. Kolasinski grew up in Lubrza, Poland, where he and his family were exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl reactor meltdown.

For those privileged enough to know him, they knew Kolasinski was a hardworking, light-hearted man, with a contagious smile and an outrageous sense of humor.

In 2007, Angel Villaluz hired him, and the two worked closely ever since. Villaluz said, “He was very valuable to the group, able to handle higher level technical tasks. He had a very strong work ethic and the amazing ability to find creative solutions to problems.”

Greg entered a department consisting of six technicians and a help desk operator. This was a tight knit and talented team that Kolasinski would help to further develop and change for the better.

Villaluz said, “He possessed an energy that separated him from the crowd and was always putting others before himself.” According to his colleagues Kolasinski always had a fresh perspective and could quickly breakdown complex problems.

Teachers who came to him with issues felt at ease, and was called the “face of the group,” by co-worker Mike Valdez.

  A testimony to his dedication is recognizable by looking a few years back. With staff reductions, Kolasinski became the only technician at the Northfield campus. He was able to sustain constant demand, handling every task thoroughly.

This time spent at Northfield allowed Kolasinski to establish strong relationships on both campuses. Stephanie Moretta, a teacher at the Northfield campus, relied on Kolasinski, often going to him for technological issues.

“Whenever I was in panic mode, he would reassure me as he worked through my problem. There wasn’t anything Greg couldn’t fix,” Moretta said.

Kosalinski is survived by his wife and eleven year old son.