'U' Music senior, dancer killed in auto accident

Joseph Wojczynski, a 22-year-old senior in the University's School of Music, died Sunday morning when his car spun out of control on US-23 in Genesee County.

Wojczynski was driving from his home in Ann Arbor to a massage class in Lapier when his car skid on a patch of ice, skidded across the median and was hit by an oncoming pick-up truck. An ambulance arrived less than two minutes later but emergency medical technicians said Wojczynski died instantly. The truck's driver was not physically hurt and the passenger sustained only minor injuries.

Wojczynski, who grew up in Ada, Mich., a suburb of Grand Rapids, was a quiet and insightful person who knew a lot about life at a tender age, said James Wojczynski, Joseph's father.

"He was quiet on the outside and much more than we knew," James Wojczynski said. "We are still finding out what he was about, and what we are finding out is sad. Joe had life figured out. The rest of us, you and me, haven't figured out what's important."

After hearing of the death, members of the School of Music's dance department gathered for a vigil Sunday night at Wojczynski's former apartment.

"We had a candlelight vigil, we sang songs and we danced," said Tim Spola, a Music senior who was Wojczynski's best friend. "He had two families - a family at home and a family of friends."

Wojczynski discovered his talent for dancing only a short time ago when he took a class at a community college. Music Prof. Peter Sparling said Wojczynski was a tall and limber dancer who learned quickly and was unafraid to perform.

"He was quiet. Such a gentle soul. Yet when he started moving and dancing, he'd come alive," Sparling said. "He was a very intelligent and bright person, and the dance department will never be the same.

"What was hardest for us is, as dancers, we do so much with our bodies. We have to be alive. To try to imagine Joe not alive is almost impossible for us," Sparling said.

The dance department cancelled classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Two busloads of students and the entire department faculty were present at the funeral service at Ada's St. Roberts Catholic Church.

Jason Marchant, a University alumnus who was Wojczynski's roommate last year, estimated that more than 300 people attended the service. "He was a guy who followed his dream. He came from a community where being a dancer wasn't something guys did," Marchant said.

At the University, Marchant said, Wojczynski found a group of friends who "got to know more of Joe in four years than his parents had in 20 years."

James Wojczynski said he was shocked by the benevolence and compassion his son's friends conveyed. Seven of Wojczynski's closest friends spent several nights in Joseph's parents' home.

"When Tim called and said Joe's best friends were coming, I was worried about having beds and blankets for them," James Wojczynski said. "Tim said that 'we're here to be with you,' and didn't care if he slept on the floor, chair or in the car."

He said he has learned more about himself from his son's death than he has learned in years of life.

"We feel like we're a part of them now," James Wojczynski said, referring to his son's friends. "We'd never been exposed to the artistic side of people. It's a shame I need to get old to be smart and know what's going on."

A poem by Wojczynski was read at the funeral that friends said reflected his creative nature.

"The poem was about death and how Joe thought it wouldn't change anything," Sparling said. "He intimated existence would go on and he wasn't afraid of death. We were all amazed."

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