Maximilian Mateusz Mizerski

Max was born in the year 2000 and lived his whole life in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was baptized at Holy Ghost Catholic Church and received his First Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Cathedral. His early childhood came with the warning sign, “my laughter is contagious, I love everybody, I am fearless and I can fix it”. He enjoyed exploring his God given talents and was creative and enthusiastic in sharing those talents with others. Every day on the way to school he was praying his prayer “Dear Jesus, we love you very very much, please live in our hearts now and forever. And please bless Mahi (Max) and Daddy and…..” Max’s Sacred Heart School years were happy, with friends and a good education, he was doing well. In the middle of his short life here, things changed for him. Emotional suffering and disabilities that were discovered later limited the realization of his ambitions and plans. Very young but extremely intelligent, Max tackled problems on his own. He learned Spanish in the two summer months prior to entering West High School and was placed immediately in advanced studies group. Max then graduated from Penn Foster High School online in less than seven months and enrolled at Pellissippi State Community College to study computer science. With purpose and passion, Max studied mathematics, engineering, science, ancient history and languages in preparing to go back in college. He developed several technical skills in electronics and mechanics as well computer hardware. He lifted weights at the YMCA on a regular schedule since he was 13 and achieved incredible results with the goal of entering the strongman competition in the near future. Things were looking better and better for Max especially as one of his medical issues was getting under control. His confidence was high. His hopes were high for the future and the fulfillment of his dreams. Plans for the spring semester and trip to Poland in the summer of 2026 just around the corner. Throughout his short-lived life, Max consistently exhibited a strong determination to succeed in life, become a productive member of society, and to eventually care for his father with whom he had a loving relationship. The strength and life-long commitment that Jacek and Max had was best revealed by a conversation they had just a few days before his passing. Max told his father, “Daddy, you are my only friend in my life”, to which Jacek responded, “Max, you are the light of my life here, I love you very much, and I am very, very proud of you……..look at how much you have accomplished”. Max looked at his father and said, “Thank-you, Daddy”. Max died tragically and unexpectedly due to either errors or negligence in his health care. Betrayed by few but loved by many. If he is looking upon us now, He may be saying “I love you, but now you have to fix it”. Max is survived by Jacek Mizerski who raised him and his wife, Krystyna, his mother Joanna Cook and her husband Bobby, his brother Leon, Max’s Uncle Wojtek, Grandfather Gary Lee Hurst, and many friends and family in Poland. A rosary will be held at Holy Ghost Catholic Church on Saturday, November 8th at 10:45am. The family will receive friends from 11:00am-12:00pm with a funeral mass to start at 12:00pm followed by a procession to Calvary Catholic Cemetery for interment. In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to The Holy Ghost Catholic Church Parish Center Renovation at https://giving.myparishsoft.io//app/giving/WeShare-20001412?tab=home or East Tennessee Children’s Hospital at https://www.etch.com/ways-to-give/.

Tributes

Maximilian Mateusz Mizerski

June 12, 2000 - October 27, 2025