Vincent Mazurowski, a fixture in The Buffalo News advertising department for nearly 50 years, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 12, at age 91 following a brief illness.
Mazurowski’s career at The News began as a copy boy in 1946, which led to assignments at the mail desk and as an advertising photographer and layout artist. He later worked as a sales representative covering numerous categories including amusements, department stores and specialty shops. As a sales manager, he oversaw shopping centers and malls, and later worked as manager of the Sunday magazine and color comics.
One of his favorite annual responsibilities was decorating The Buffalo New lobby and massive Christmas tree during the holiday season. He retired from The News in September 1993.
Known for building relationships both inside and outside the walls of The News, Mazurowski mentored dozens — if not hundreds — of young men and women cutting their teeth in the advertising game.
“To Vince, his word meant everything,” said Joe Kirchmyer, a former Creative Services manager at The Buffalo News who often relied on Mazurowski’s expertise in advertising, design, marketing and promotions. “Customers who worked with Vince didn’t need a contract, just a handshake. His word was as good as gold.”
His advertising career took him into buildings and prestigious homes throughout the city, where he met countless Buffalo business icons. As a result, he was an incredible tour guide. A turn down nearly any city street would result in multiple stories about the people who lived and/or worked within the most historic and significant structures. His incredible memory was one of his greatest assets. He never forgot a detail, even decades later.
In addition to his time at The News, Mazurowski had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army, serving in military intelligence as an interpreter. While he did not speak often of his military experiences, when he did, people would stop everything and listen. His stories of clandestine operations involving secret agents at various foreign border crossings were more typical of James Bond than a mild-mannered gentleman from Buffalo who loved gardening, the arts, Curtain Up, Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Elmwood Village, trips to the Big Apple, the occasional gin and tonic, and fashion.
“Vince was very kind and generous, recalled Mark Genet, a second cousin. “When I first graduated from college and began my accounting career, all the suits I wore were hand-me-downs from Vince. Not typical hand-me-downs – they were all like brand new! To this day we treasure the two works of art he painted that are proudly displayed in our dining room. Most importantly, we also cherish the companionship he gave my mother upon the death of my dad in 1989. She went and did things she never would have done if not for Vince.”
Mazurowski is survived by cousins Barbara (Rodgers) and Paul Maze (Mazikowski), Susan (Stein) and Richard Kraft, and Joan (Williams) and Mark Genet, and predeceased by his parents, Vincent and Martha.
A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb.19, at Blessed Sacrament Church, Delaware Avenue at West Utica Street, Buffalo.
