Alice Schalek of Wilno, Minnesota passed away on Monday, May 14, 2012 at Comfort’s Place Assisted Living in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Wilno with Father Ron Huberty as celebrant. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, May 18 at Birk Funeral Home in Ivanhoe with a prayer service at 7 p.m. and rosary to follow. Visitation will resume at the church one hour prior to the funeral on Saturday. Burial will be in St. John Cantius Cemetery, Wilno.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to St. John Cantius Catholic Church PO Box 49, Ivanhoe, MN 56142.
Alice Schalek was a strong-willed mother of four and widowed spouse of Stanley Schalek.
Alice Helen Chlub was born on June 21, 1923 in Royal Township, Lincoln County, Minnesota to Michael and Cecelia (Popowski) Chlub. Our mom grew up on a dairy farm near Ivanhoe, Minnesota, with older sister Alma and younger siblings Beatrice (“Beechy”) and only brother, Roy. Mom loved that farm but not the farm life. (“Oh, pulling that dear mustard weed!”) She graduated from Ivanhoe High School and worked at the Creamery as a bookkeeper. Mom enjoyed her school friendships and sought to keep in touch with many throughout her life. During World War II she joined the Navy, serving our country in Washington D.C. until early 1946. Mom was proud of her service. She made a special effort to return to Washington D.C. for the unveiling of the Women’s War Memorial five decades later.
Mom then went to southern California with her soon- to-be husband Stanley, where they married and had their four children. An employment opportunity for our Dad, briefly in Wisconsin and then Michigan, brought the family of six to metro Detroit in 1957. It was with reluctance that Mom left California and her new life there.
Mom loved work outside the home; in the 1960’s she returned to school for her Associates degree, became a cosmetologist and also worked as nurse’s aide for over a decade. It was a bit unusual in that mom had appendicitis as a youngster in Minnesota, which led to a life-long aversion to doctors!
Mom and Dad retired to southern Colorado in 1980, but it was too dry and too big of an adjustment. In 1989 they made a trip back home and bought their final home in Wilno. Mom quickly adapted to their new-old life. Health problems for our Dad brought difficult challenges for Mom until his passing in 1998, but she never complained. Mom stayed in Wilno, against almost everyone’s advice, but she was happy. Not macular degeneration, cancer surgery in 2004, or artificial hips could change her fierce independent lifestyle. And her home was within spitting distance of St. John Cantius Church, no small matter!
At Thanksgiving 2010 Mom came for a visit to Michigan, but her distaste for doctors finally caught up to her and she was never able to get back to the home and life she loved, as she is loved and missed by all her family. She passed away on Monday, May 14 at Comfort’s Place Assisted Living in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It was 38 days shy of her 89th Birthday.
Alice is lovingly remembered by four children Gloria (Ed) Gurney, Timothy (Veronica) Schalek, Gayle (Roy) Cockerham and Tom (Linda) Schalek; grandchildren Eddy (Jennifer) Gurney, Dawn (Dan) McMaster, Darci Gurney, Nicholas Schalek, David Richards, Deanna (Todd) Nelson, Steven Schalek, and Kathryn (Jeff) Simmons; beloved sister, Beatrice (Henrik) Weverka and brother, Roy (Bernice) Chlub.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Stanley Schalek on January 15, 1998; parents, Michael and Cecelia Chlub; and sister, Alma Kirkpatrick.
Blessed be her memory.
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