Obituary of Sallyann F. Hadyniak

Sallyann Muchie Hadyniak, 82, of Freedom, Maine lived life to the fullest until the second she passed away on Tuesday evening, November 5, 2019, quickly and painlessly in the home she loved, and in her son’s presence. She is survived by her son Chuck and his wife Lynn Hadyniak; grandson Tyler Hadyniak and his fiance Catherine Nichols; grandson Kyle Hadyniak and his wife Mariah Hadyniak; friend and fellow grandparent to Tyler and Kyle, Norman Qualtrough of Virginia; and Lynn’s brother, Evan Qualtrough of Oregon. She is also missed greatly by her friend of 47 years, Michael Krause of Florida; her dog Trixie; and the entire community of Freedom. Born March 18, 1937, in Carteret, New Jersey, she was raised there, married there, and lived the first 60 years of her life in that same small town. That is also where she met and married the love of her life, her husband of 46 years, Charles “Wassey” Hadyniak. She was forever proud of his military service aboard the USS Purdy, and was devastated when he passed away in 2005. In 1997, when Chuck and Lynn decided to raise their grandsons in Freedom, Maine, Sallyann and Wassey enthusiastically agreed to uproot their lives and move, too. In her words, she “didn’t want to be a grandmother who saw her grandchildren only twice a year.” She accomplished that goal perfectly. She was one of the most influential people in her grandsons’ lives. She was constantly available for their care, and provided them with lasting life lessons. As Sallyann was often heard to say, “Family comes first”. She and Grandpa attended every single one of their grandsons’ school and sports events. Every. Single. One. If Wassey ever wanted to just sit one out, maybe catch a nap in his recliner on a wintry Sunday afternoon, she always told him: “Wass, we’re going. You can sleep when you’re dead”. When she moved to Freedom she became involved in her town, answering childrens’ letters to Santa, writing the Republican Journal’s weekly Freedom column (for almost twenty years!), joining the Freedom Recreation Committee, the Historical Committee, the Tuesday afternoon “Stitch and B*tch social group, taking the weekly town meeting minutes, and otherwise doing anything asked of her. Sallyann was awarded the Town’s “Volunteer of the Year” award in 2017, a recognition she treasured. Her passing leaves an irreparable hole in the fabric of Freedom’s community and in the lives of her surviving family. That family included Tyler and Kyle’s childhood friends, Mitch Ryan, Nate Sigouin, and Alec Davis, whom she always thought of as her “adopted grandsons”. She frequently said she “found her freedom in Freedom.” Remarkably open about her twenty-year long battle with agoraphobia in New Jersey, once she moved to Maine she embraced country living, left her house often, and enjoyed nothing more than doing things with her family and friends. Even as an octogenarian, she was the first one to want to go on long road trips, and even flew on her own to see friends in Florida - a remarkable feat for someone who used to never leave her house. Closer to home, she became a fixture at Knox’s Ridgetop Restaurant, and considered the staff and regulars there some of her closest friends. As she often said, she existed in New Jersey but starting living in Maine. Her social circle was as large as the love she gave to the people in her life. She frequently said the reason she was put on Earth was to care for people. As a young woman in Carteret, she took care of neighbors’ and friends’ children. When Chuck left for college, she took care of first Tara, and then Kimmy. When her grandsons came along, she gave of herself completely, treasuring every minute she spent with them. In their last months and days with us, she cared for her mother Sophia Muchie; her sister-in-law Anna Hadyniak; and her beloved husband, Wassey. She was “Mustang Sally” to the Mount View High School crowd, “Mom” to Chuck and Lynn, and Grandma to her grandsons, who she adored beyond measure. Now she will be forever missed, but never forgotten. As Sallyann herself taught us, we won’t say goodbye, because that means forever. We’ll say “see you soon,” because we will see each other again. A memorial service will be held at the Freedom Congregational Church on Saturday, November 9, 2019, at 12 pm. Everyone is welcome to come and share memories and honor her life. She will be buried next to her husband in Carteret, New Jersey.