Rom Lipinski with daughters (from left) Eva Lipinski and Yolanda Hipski.
Romuald “Rom” Lipinski has lived a remarkable life – from his 1925 birth in Poland to his teens in Siberia to fighting in the Polish Army in Italy during WWII. He later became a civil engineer, moved to America, married and raised a family, never stopped learning and passed on his knowledge to others.
And on July 25 – still sharp as a tack – he celebrated his 101st birthday with his children and friends at Brightview Senior Living in the Centreville area, where he’s a resident. The festivities included Polish pierogies, birthday cake and entertainment by the Wiślanie Polish Folk Song and Dance Ensemble that first performed for him on his 97th birthday.
Afterward, he and his daughters, Eva Lipinski and Yolanda Hipski, told The Connection about his life. (His son Adam had already left).
When war broke out in September 1939, both the Germans and Russians invaded Poland. Rom was 13 then and his future wife, Izabela, was 9, but they didn’t meet until both were adults. And in the early 1940s, the invaders deported both their families to Siberia.
Then in late 1944, the British government helped the Polish people leave there. Izabela went to a refugee camp in Africa for five years, and teenaged Rom joined the free Polish Army – a branch of the British Army. An infantryman, he and his unit went to Sicily and then up through Italy to Rome.
Along the way, Rom Lipinski, then 19, fought in the historic Battle of Monte Cassino – one of the toughest and most significant campaigns of World War II. Monte Cassino was an Italian monastery occupied by the Germans on a high, rugged mountain. The Allies fought them there from Jan. 17 to May 18, 1944, and the resulting Allied victory opened the road enabling them to reach Rome.
Rom was in the 12th Podolski Lancers Regiment from the 3rd Infantry Division, at Monte Cassino from April 30 to May 23, 1944. Finally, on the morning of May 18, 1944, a patrol from this regiment planted its pennant and the Polish flag on the ruins of the Monte Cassino monastery. Before then, however, came fierce fighting.
“The first patrol at Monte Cassino was from my regiment,” said Rom. “We did reconnaissance to find out where the German artillery and soldiers were. Everybody was scared; I was thinking about survival. These memories never leave me. But I considered it my duty to serve. I still keep in touch with the Polish regimental office in Poland.”
After the war ended and he was discharged from the Army, he resettled in England, attending the University of London to continue his education. “That was a feat in itself because, first, he had to learn English,” said Eva Lipinski. “He speaks five languages – Italian, French, Russian, Polish and English.”
“He literally fought for his education,” added Hipski. “He went to ninth and 10th grade in high school; and when he was fighting in Italy, he would take the test to place out of one grade level to another while wearing his battlefield gear. His high school wasn’t as thorough as it should have been. And when he got to college, he had to fight extra hard to get in.
“Then he had to translate everything from English to Polish, understand those concepts in his mind and then translate them back from Polish to English. Later, he taught us that you go for your education. He’d say, ‘They can take everything away from you, but they can’t take your mind.’ And that’s what he conveyed to us and what I conveyed to my child.”
While he was in England, in November 1951, “There was a big rally in Manchester, England, and I went there to see my brother,” said Rom Lipinski. “We went to a dance, and I saw this beauty, and there was a spark between us. She came to our table and we hit it off, right away. After many years of marriage, she told me that, after our second meeting, she went home and started writing, ‘Izabela Lipinski.’”
However, her family had already applied for visas to move to America – which they did, two months later, in January 1952. Many letters and a long-distance courtship followed; and later that year, Izabela returned to England to marry him. Then in December 1953, they moved to America, settling in Perth Amboy, N.J., where Rom continued his studies. In 1961, he received a master’s degree from Newark College of Engineering and became a civil engineer.
“My first job was as a draftsman and designer for a company,” he said. “It paid $56/week.” In 1965, he and his family moved to Annandale, and he became a civil engineer for the U.S. Navy before working for the federal government. He was a civil engineer for the Atomic Energy Commission, later renamed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“He wrote the building code, still used today, for nuclear power plants throughout the U.S.,” said Eva Lipinski. “Then in 1989, he left to work in a similar field in the private sector until 1997, when he retired at age 72.”
But instead of just relaxing, Rom continued his pattern of being a lifelong learner, taking college classes wherever he lived. He also made it a point to share his knowledge with others.
“After retiring, he took math and philosophy classes at George Mason University,” said Hipski. “He also tutored high-school and college students in math. And during his entire career in this area, he tutored students at UVA and NOVA for their professional-engineering licensing exams. He did this until he was 90.”
“He was mowing his lawn until 1993,” added Eva Lipinski. “My mother used to yell at him to stop, but he said it was good exercise for him.” Izabela died in 2019 at age 90, after 68 years of marriage. Besides their three children, they have six grandchildren, one great grandchild and another on the way.
Growing up, recalled Hipski, “We used to go sailing in our sloop at Occoquan Regional Park and play on a little train there. We also went boating in Burke Lake Park and skiing in Vermont.
“Our dad was very principled and told us to stand up for justice and to fight and persevere in what we believe in. I also convey this to my son. My brother, sister and I were given gifts of freedom of education from our parents and said we needed to share them with our children and the world.”
Pleased with her father’s 101st birthday celebration, Hipski said it was planned by the Polish Embassy. “He’s always been active in the Polish community and was invited to embassy events, through the years,” she explained. “Poland considered him a hero because of his activities at Monte Cassino.
“In 2025, he received a gold medal from the Polish Army’s defense minister. And he also got the White Cross from the Polish government.” The Polish White Cross symbolizes suffering, an unblemished past and hope for the future. Both the emblem and organization were established to support Polish soldiers abroad and encourage their physical and spiritual wellbeing.
After his birthday festivities, Rom spoke about his life now at Brightview. “I have my good and bad moments but, overall, I feel good,” he said. When asked to what he attributes his many years, Eva Lipinski said his sister lived until 102, so there’s longevity in his family. He also does his best to keep his mind and body as fit as possible.
“I watch World War II movies on my iPad and exercise two or three times a day with 2-pound dumbbells,” said Rom. “I also exercise my legs, stand up and down and wiggle my feet. I read a lot when my vision was better.” He also enjoys listening to classical music and, once a week, a high-school student comes in and plays chess with him.
Appreciative of his birthday party, he said, “It was a nice celebration.” He was also deeply touched by the musical performers. “Many of the songs I remembered from my childhood in Poland, and I was really moved.”