In January of 2006, TufShield’s founder and longtime chief evangelist Jerry Fijalkowski passed away unexpectedly while working on his boat in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. His sudden passing left everyone who knew him in deep sorrow.
Born September 8, 1938 in Warsaw, Poland, Jerry was fortunate to survive German occupation and Warsaw uprising with his family. Life in post-war communist Poland was a meager existence and the only chance for a better life was through education.
After high school Jerry studied history but was always keenly fascinated with film making. For a time he was employed by Warsaw TV, but left Poland in 1966 to receive an award for his documentary film accomplishments. After a brief stay in Paris he came to Canada and made his new home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he successfully worked as a freelance cameramen and filmmaker. One of the highlights of Jerry’s film career was his involvement as a lead cameraman with Lorne Green in production of the "Lorne Greene's New Wilderness" series.
Jerry also had a lifelong fascination with boats, especially wooden boats. Over the years he searched the market in vain for the ideal wood preserver to keep his own wooden crafts in perfect shape. In time his frustrations with the products available, as well as his own chemical expertise lead to the development of the TufShield™ formulations in 1978, which quickly gained worldwide acclaim.
The superiority of the product line was even further supported when in 1995, after a rigorous two year investigation, TufShield™ was chosen as the exclusive wood finish for Bill Gates’ 42,000 sq. ft., $85 million Lake Washington mansion. This was a crowning achievement for Jerry and to that point in time a highlight of his TufShield™ efforts.
Jerry lost his beloved wife Wanda to West Nile disease in November of 2002. This tragedy hit him very hard and to cope he buried himself in his work with little regard for his own weakening heart. He died taking care of his own boat in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in January 2006. Both Jerry and his wife Wanda's ashes were tossed to the sea in Puerto Vallarta, Georgian Bay (Canada) and the Vistula River in Warsaw, Poland, the places they both loved most.
The TufShield™ product line continues to serve as an ongoing testament to Jerry’s creativity, intellect, work ethic, and intensely focused dedication to whatever endeavors he pursued during his lifetime.
