South Hadley, MA – Carolyn (Czaja) Topor, 89, of South Hadley, MA, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2026, after a short illness.
Born in Springfield, MA, to Josephine (Latosinski) and Joseph John Czaja, Carolyn graduated summa cum laude from Classical High School in 1954 and from Mount Holyoke College in 1958, where she studied piano, voice, and Italian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. A Mary Vance Young Scholarship took her to Florence, Italy, to study art history, sparking a lifelong passion. She went on to pursue graduate studies at Harvard University.
Carolyn met the love of her life, Joseph Topor, during her freshman year at Mount Holyoke. They married on April 18, 1959, and shared 67 years of marriage. She devoted herself to raising her children with faith, integrity, and a love of learning, while remaining active with the Springfield Symphony, Mount Holyoke College, and community arts and cultural organizations throughout her life.
Carolyn and Joseph were longtime members of Saint Theresa of Lisieux Roman Catholic Church, where she taught religious education, served on the church council, and chaired the Holy Door of Divine Mercy committee in 2016. She was named a Dame of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem by the Vatican that same year.
Deeply proud of her Polish heritage, Carolyn co-founded the New England Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation in 1996 and partnered with Elms College to help establish the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning. In 2008, she received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the nation’s highest civilian honor for foreigners, presented by President Lech Kaczy?ski.
Carolyn and Joseph traveled to more than 64 countries across all seven continents. She is remembered by her family as kind, generous, gracious, and endlessly curious – “Mother,” “Gert,” “Mom,” and “Mutti” to her children, and “Babci” to her grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Joseph; her children Mary Elizabeth Daniel (Stephen), Joseph Martin Topor III (Jamie), David Jonathan Topor (Karen), and Jennifer Ann McDermott (Michael); her ten grandchildren; her brother Dr. Ronald Czaja and sister Joan Marsh; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 11:00 am at Saint Theresa of Lisieux Roman Catholic Church, 9 East Parkview Drive, South Hadley.
Interment will follow in the family plot at St. Stanislaus Cemetery, 800 Montgomery Street, Chicopee.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Carolyn’s name to Mount Holyoke College or the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at Elms College.
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