Jane Dolores DZIEKANSKI

16 JAN 1921 - 21 OCT 2011

• BIRTH: 16 JAN 1921, South Bend, IN
• BURIAL: St. Joseph Cemetery, South Bend, IN
• DEATH: 21 OCT 2011, South Bend, IN

• MARRIAGE: 26 APR 1947, St Joseph County, IN

1.  Paul GRZESK
2.  Ann GRZESK
3.  Ronald GRZESK
4.  Mary GRZESK

INDEX

[N10213] Jane Dolores Gresk
Jan. 16, 1921 - Oct. 21, 2011
SOUTH BEND - Jane Dolores Gresk (90) passed away October 21, 2011. She was born January 16, 1921, in South Bend, Indiana, and was the sixth and youngest child of Joseph and Marian Dziekanski, Polish immigrants who entered the United States in 1890 through Ellis Island. At age 16, she met her eventual husband, Clarence Sylvester Gresk (ne Grzesk). Jane was an attractive student at Central Senior High School in South Bend who had once flown to Los Angeles to investigate a future in Hollywood. Clarence was a three-star athlete at South Bend's St. Joseph High School and an Eagle Scout. He was the son of Walter and Martha Grzesk. It was a match made in heaven. WW II intervened while Clarence served four years in the U.S. Army with distinction in the North African and European campaigns. They were married on April 26, 1947. On a bright summer afternoon in July 1949 when Jane was eight months pregnant with their second child, Clarence, upon returning from visiting his mother, became the victim of a horrific head-on collision with an oil tanker that veered into his lane on Highway 6 near Kendallville, IN. At age 28, Clarence had accomplished the beginnings of the American dream with a beautiful wife, a young family, and a position as a junior auditor at the Standard Oil Company. Ironically, Jane delivered their first daughter at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN, while Clarence, still in a coma, fought to save his life two floors above. Literally in an instant, this family's magical life became an unimaginable life. He won the battle to survive his injuries but never recovered his former mental and physical strength. They moved to Indianapolis where, unprepared and ill-equipped, Jane eventually assumed the position of primary financial support on wages she earned as a clerk/typist at various insurance companies and, more importantly, through true grit and determination, never any outside help. She stressed the importance of an education and a strong work ethic to her children. Twenty-one years and 33 operations later, Clarence succumbed to his injuries and the illnesses that followed. He was 48 years of age. Those who knew Jane and, certainly those who crossed her or dared to cross her children, recognized her as "one tough dame." Her mission to raise these children has now been well accomplished. Her wishes will be honored with a Mass of Christian Burial to be held on Wednesday, October 26th, at 11:00 A.M. in Saint Hedwig Catholic Church, South Bend. She will be buried next to her husband at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery. At this moment of celebration and respect for her accomplishments, her children, Ronald Gresk (Pam), Mary Koers (Steve), Paul Gresk (Peggy), all of Indianapolis, and Ann Day (Bob) of Wylie, Texas, her 10 grandchildren and one step-grandchild, and those other family members and friends in unison, pray that she and her husband, now reunited, will enjoy in eternal life the same happiness and hope that they shared in the first years of their marriage. After all, theirs is now truly "a match made in heaven." The family would like to thank the staff of Carmel Health and Living Community for their help and support. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Leppert Mortuary Services.
Published in South Bend Tribune on October 24, 2011