The funeral ceremony began with a mass held in the church of The Sacred Heart of Jesus in Stara Miłosna in Warsaw. The ceremony was attended by his family, friends, representatives of the highest state authorities: President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Marshal of the Sejm Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Senate Stanisław Karczewski, Head of the Chancellery of the Sejm Agnieszka Kaczmarska, Ministry employees, members of the Parliament, Ministers, representatives of science community, foresters, representatives of hunting clubs, and numerous participants from all over Poland.

“With great sadness and surprised I received the news about the death of Professor Jan Szyszko - a man of exceptional knowledge, great commitment to nature conservation, but also a man dedicated to environmental protection. A man of great authority, noble heart and great kindness towards others has passed away. For numerous years he was my colleague from the Parliament and a role model with regards to his care for the State Forests in their current legal and organisational form; I have found his passion and persistence in caring for the State Forests a particular inspiration. It is a great loss for all of us. I share the pain with the family, friends and all the loved ones. May the memories of the work of Professor Jan Szyszko remain with us” - said Minister Henryk Kowalczyk in the book of condolences.

Before the ceremony commenced, the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej granted the late Professor’s wife with the Commander’s Cross with the Polonia Restituta Star awarded posthumously. The Order was awarded for outstanding achievements in state and public initiatives for national benefit.

“We will greatly miss your extraordinary competence, your extraordinary knowledge. Thank you for your great lifetime service for the Republic of Poland. Thank you for all of your students - young Polish foresters, all the people involved in environmental protection in Poland, whom you have raised shared your knowledge. Following your example, they will continue to serve the nation. Dear Professor, Dear Minister, rest in peace, you have served your homeland very well” said President Andrzej Duda.

The late Professor Jan Szyszko was buried in the Parish Cemetery. The President awarded the widow with the flag used to cover the coffin. 

The late Professor Jan Szyszko

Between 1997 and 1999, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Forestry in Jerzy Buzek's government; between 2005 and 2007 Minister of Environment in Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz’s and Jarosław Kaczyński's government, between 2015 and 2018 Minister of Environment in Beata Szydło's and Mateusz Morawiecki's government. Between 1999 and 2000 he held the position of the President of the UN Climate Convention. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Polish Parliament.

Jan Szyszko has dedicated his entire scientific career to environmental protection. He has authored over 250 books, scientific works and publications on the use of natural resources and ecology. For years he has been associated with the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. In 1966 he graduated from the Faculty of Forestry at the University and continued to achieve further scientific titles. Since 2001 he has been a full professor of Forestry Sciences. He held the scholarships in the universities in Belgium, Holland and Germany. He held a honorary doctorate at the universities of Luneburg (Germany) and Uzhgorod (Ukraine). He co-founded the Independent Department for the Assessment and Valuation of Natural Resources. He also established the Intercollegiate Study of Assessment and Valuation of Natural Resources at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and the Warsaw School of Economics. He lectured at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and the Academy of Social and Media Culture in Toruń. He was one of the founders and the president of the Association for the Sustainable Development of Poland.

In his private life, Professor Jan Szyszko was a husband, a father and a grandfather.