RAPID CITY | Dr. Zbigniew "Ziggy" Hladysz, PhD, 69, of Rapid City, died at his home Wednesday, August 12, 2015. He was born on February 3, 1947 in Mikolow, Poland to Jozef and Stefania (Kaszel) Hladysz. He spent his formative years in Poland where he graduated from Politechnika Slaska (Engineering University) with a Master's Degree in Mining Engineering. He worked at the Glowny Institut Gornictwa (Central Mining Institute) in Katowice, where he obtained his doctorate degree in rock mechanics. He married Halina Krzyzowska in Katowice, Poland on December 26, 1970. Their son, Jake, was born in Poland and they continued their adventure as a family by immigrating to the United States in 1981. In the same year he was offered a professorship at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He continued to work as an educator until 2014 sharing his knowledge and experience to the next generation of young engineers, leaving an indelible mark on hundreds of students. In addition to teaching he was involved in many other projects, including SURF (Sanford Underground Research Facility) in Lead where he helped design the underground structure. He became a United States citizen in 1997. He loved his new country. Ziggy enjoyed skiing, adventurous trips and mountain biking with his son and grandchildren and loved his quiet time with Halina. He was devoted to his Catholic faith, was a member of a prayer group and spent hours visiting Jesus during Adoration times. He is survived by his wife, Halina, Rapid City, his son Jake, Rapid City and his two grandchildren Arek Hladysz, Rapid City and Alissa Duhé, Keystone. Ziggy was preceded in death by his parents. A visitation will be held Sunday, August 16, 2015 beginning at 5:00 pm at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with a Christian Wake service and Rosary recitation to be held at 6:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:00 am on Monday, August 17 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Interment will be in the Mt Calvary Cemetery. A memorial has been established to benefit the skateboard park in Rapid City. Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home of Rapid City is hosting his online guest register at www.osheimschmidt.com.