LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE BREATHS WE TAKE BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY.
Because I am writing my own obituary, I would like to share with you some of the most precious moments in my life that have taken my breath away.
I was born on December 22, 1933, and welcomed by two wonderful parents, John and Mary Nuter. I had two brothers, Joe and Jerry. Sadly, at four years old, Joe passed away from pneumonia and became my special angel in heaven.
Moving forward by 18 years, many breathless moments came to me in the “Fabulous Fifties”. In 1951, I met my husband, James, and also graduated from Washington Park High School. In 1952, I married James and we had three children: son, James born in 1953, daughter, Mary Ellen born in 1957, and daughter, Laurie Ann born in 1959. We, as parents, taught our children all about life, but at the end of our lives these loving and caring children taught us what life is all about. They took care of their father day and night during his final months, and they took care of me the same way from the day I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in February of 2014. There are no words to accurately describe my love for our children and how lucky we were to have them. Thank you so much James, Mary Ellen, and Laurie Ann for your care and devotion. My husband passed away on May 3, 2014, which was a sad moment for all of us, but I was lucky to have him in my life for 62 years.
The Circle of Life continues with our five grandchildren: Jim, Joe, Jessy, Brian, and Ben, together with our 11 great-grandchildren. I love each and every one of them with all of my heart.
In my employment years, I worked as a legal secretary for Attorney Harley Brown for 19 years. When he retired, I went to work for Attorney Jeffrey Leavell for 10 years. They were two wonderful bosses who made it a joy to come to work every day. When I wasn’t working, and after I retired, for fun I loved going to country craft malls, decorating my home or garden, and going “Up North” with my family.
Now I would like to thank my good friends of 60 years, Kathy Cuccio, Barbara Sharpe and Jean Mandli for all of our fun monthly get-togethers. Also, thank you for the telephone calls, cards, and prayers. We met every month without fail for sixty years and took some great trips together to Chicago, New York, Florida, Las Vegas, and Arizona. Life without friends would surely become dull and this group was anything but that. Thank you so much for your friendship girls – love you forever.
A heart-felt thanks also goes to my true friend for sixty years plus, Shirley Povkovich. She graciously took me to all my chemo treatments and office visits, called me every week, baked me some of her famous cookies and, best of all, prayed for me. Our husbands became good friends while working at the Racine Police Department. And since we both had properties “Up North”, we took many vacations together – so many fun time and wonderful memories shared. Thank you for your friendship all these years, Shirley – love you forever.
Last, but certainly not least, a very special thank you goes to my following caretakers:
To Dr. Michael Mullane, who with his excellent care, expertise, and compassion gave me extra precious time with my family. He is truly a wonderful doctor who genuinely cares about his patients and I was lucky to have him. He truly is “the best of the best.”
To Dr. Mullane’s nurse, Kelly, who gave me constant hope, advice, and encouragement with her wonderful upbeat smile.
To lab nurse, Lynee, who did my blood work and gave me “painless shots” every week.
To all the angels in the chemo rom who kept me comfortable with warm blankets, kept me hydrated, and were always kind, caring, and patient. The daily care you give to all the patients in the chemo room is truly amazing. God bless all of you.
Thank you, Laura and Randy, of St. Rita’s Church for your weekly visits to bring me communion. It meant a lot to me.
Thanks to the third floor hospice nurses at Wheat Franciscan – All Saints for the love and care during the last weeks.
I, Mary Jane Bednarek, at the age of 81, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of my family. Thank you, God, for a full and wonderful life. In closing, remember, LIFE ISN’T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS – IT’S ABOUT LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2014, 11:00am, at St. Rita Parish, 4339 Douglas Avenue, with Rev. Kevin C. Mullins officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00am until the time of the Mass. Private interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Caledonia. Mary Jane will be laid to rest next to her husband, James, in the Bednarek crypt.
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