For those of you who may not know me I am Kristina, JoAnn’s oldest granddaughter, and I am extremely honored to be giving this eulogy. Whether you called her Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Aunt JoAnn, Stella or just friend, I think we can all agree she was someone who truly lived her life to the fullest. She had beautiful blue eyes that seemed to twinkle when she flashed that infectious smile. You couldn’t help yourself but to smile right along with her. She had incredible optimism about whatever life handed her and was an inspiration to many because of this. She loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor, which made her very fun to be around. She was also a spunky lady who would tell it like it was. She lived her life with honesty and compassion for all those she knew. One time, one of the younger kids in the family had mispronounced her name and said JOYANN. I quickly stepped in to correct them, but now that I think back about it, they might have been on to something! JoAnn Gladyce Brzinski was born in Manitowoc, WI on January 3, 1934. She was the first child of Joseph and Gladyce. Three sisters would follow and she was very comfortable with the role of being the oldest. She grew up having her own voice, all the while caring and watching over her little sisters. Later, the family moved to the Milwaukee area. JoAnn attended grade school at Holy Assumption and later West Allis Central High School. She had many friends and this is where she met the best friend she would have for life: William Barwick. They married on January 5, 1952 and recently were able to celebrate 62 years together. She was completely devoted to him over the years. Caring for him, sticking together throughout the ups and downs, laughing, crying, moving around and even sometimes -- much to her dislike -- watched wrastling with him. She made sure he had what he needed and wasn’t afraid to give him a hard time when he needed it. They complemented one another quite well and I don’t think could have made it this far without each other. Bill and JoAnn had their first child, my Dad, Joseph on December 7, 1952. One girl and three more boys followed. As the family grew, they moved around a bit finding the right place to fit them all. As you can imagine, it took quite a juggling act to get everything done. JoAnn worked a full time job at American Industrial and later Briggs and Stratton while raising 5 children. It was chaos much of the time, but JoAnn made time for all her children. She had a way of connecting with each one of them and making them feel important. There is a long, standing family joke about who was Grandma’s favorite and it now includes both children and grandchildren. I’m hoping standing up here today puts me in the lead for the next few minutes! Speaking of grandchildren, JoAnn had 8 grandchildren who were the most special thing to her. She knew how fast kids grew up and could give her grandchildren more time than she was able to give her own. They were her pride and joy through the years and she was so proud of all of them. She greeted them with that amazing smile, a huge hug, kiss and always an “I love you.” Those grandchildren gave her 9 great grandchildren, who she made feel just as special and loved. She would send them cards on Valentines Day and Halloween just to let them know she was thinking about them. It usually included a couple of dollars for them to put in their piggy banks. After I had my second daughter and was feeling a little overwhelmed, she called me and told me to focus on what was truly important in life. She said, “Who cares if your house is clean or your laundry is done, just love those kids and spend time with them. That’s what matters.” She realized after years had gone by how much more time she would have liked too have spent with her own children as they were growing up and wanted to make sure I took advantage of it while it was happening. Good advice! One of her favorite things was Christmas. She loved everything about it and was enthusiastic about celebrating it together. When I was small I remember the whole family getting together to help decorate the house. We would put on Christmas music and have at it. It made her so happy. On Christmas Eve she would wear a Santa hat, a festive outfit and would enlist everyone in the family -- whether they wanted to or not -- to sing Christmas carols. She would also recruit a Santa for the little ones and a person to hand out the gifts. She wanted to make it memorable for everyone and she did. No matter who showed up at the party, she made sure they had something to open and felt like part of the family, even it meant she had to race to the hall to add an additional card or gift to the pile. For many years JoAnn would pick one person in the family to give a ”Special Person Christmas.” She wanted to spend a little more and get them something she knew they wanted just to show them how much they meant to her. The funny thing is that she was the person who made Christmas special for everyone. I am not sure if it was the actual Christmas holiday that she loved so much or the incredible joy she felt by having all the people she loved most surrounding her. Her holiday spirit was carried on by her sons, both in Missouri and Wisconsin, who choose to keep her spirit of Christmas alive with elaborate decorations and family parties. She was able to take part, relax and enjoy not having to do everything. Over the years she made countless trips to her father’s cottage in the Lake Tomahawk area. It was filled with memorable summers that were packed to the gills -- no pun intended -- with family and close friends. This became a favorite place for both Bill and JoAnn and after retirement, when they chose to live a slower paced life up in Woodroof, WI. Though she did not live close, she made sure to send personalized letters and never forgot a birthday or to say that extra thank you. Her letters would keep you up to date on the latest deer sighting count or how many flowers were beginning to bloom. It also always included a sweet message of how much she loved you, and how very proud she was of you. She always ended it with encouraging words that made you smile. She would spend countless hours on the phone keeping in touch with everyone, finding out what the latest news in town was or who was having a hard time and then reaching out to help them. She was an amazing person who always helped you focus on the positive and find the good in any situation. Though the miles may have been great, she never forgot anyone. To keep herself busy, she started working at Walmart as a cashier. She was a social person and enjoyed the opportunity to beam with pride as she told anyone who would listen about her family and friends. This also gave her numerous hilarious stories to share. You could always count on Walmart for that. My Aunt Jean told me about the one of the first times she went up north with her husband, Bill, about 34 years ago. JoAnn took her shopping and, of course, their first stop was the Christmas store in Minocqua. They have been shopping together ever since. Once they moved back to West Allis a few years ago, they would go shopping on Saturdays and would follow it up with pie at Baker’s Square. Not everyone loved shopping and eating out as much as Jean. So they were natural shopping/lunch buddies. That extra time they got to spend together created a very strong bond between them and I’m sure Jean will remember those Saturdays fondly. So the interesting part of the story was the pie eating. JoAnn loved pie -- I mean really loved pie -- and the day she died is was international Pi Day. Sure, it was 3.14 mathematical Pi Day but it was Pi Day nonetheless. Pretty ironic. The other bit of irony for me is that she struggled with health problems later in life mostly related to her heart. She was one of the most loving, caring, compassionate, upbeat people I have ever met, so I would like to challenge those doctors by saying her heart worked better than most. In fact, the world would be a whole lot better and brighter if everyone had a heart just like hers! She was burdened by leg problems and multiple heart issues for years. We can all take comfort in the fact that she is finally free of those things that held her back in life. She has now rejoined some beloved family who left her way too earlier in life, like her sisters Nancy and Eileen, and more recently, her niece Jodie, her brother in-law Cubby and her dear friend Frank Schersing. May they all find peace and comfort in each other and continue to watch over us together. She loved to celebrate so today and everyday, let’s honor her memory, by embracing life, taking things as they come with dignity and strength, while always finding the silver lining, no matter how difficult the circumstances. And always remember: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:44:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015