Adeline Otwaska, 86, died peacefully on Sunday at home with her loving family by her side. She was born in Racine on July 28, 1932 to Emery and Pauline (nee: Pokus) Tomka. On February 9, 1952, she married the love of her life, Anthony Otwaska, who preceded her in death on August 4, 2000.
Adeline was a graduate of Washington Park High School. She was a secretary at S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. and Block Furniture. After she started her loving family and when her kids were in school, she went back to work at Kappus Bakery. She was a member of St. Lucy’s Church and loved to play Bridge at Humble Park and “31” at St. Lucy’s, a game she passed on to her great-grandchildren. She was also a member of the Catholic Woman’s Club. She loved playing bingo at the St. Lucy’s festival with her family. She loved to bake and passed on the art of making kolaches to her grandchildren and great-granddaughter. Friday nights playing Zilch and having dinner will be a lasting tradition.
She enjoyed many things in life, but nothing more than being with her family whom she cherished and held close to her heart. She was the matriarch of our family and always said “look what I built. I wouldn’t give any one of them back.”
Adeline will be dearly missed by her children, Nancy (Gayle Baumeister) Peasley, Peter (Becki) Otwaska, Carol (Daniel) Pansch, Dolores (Gerry) Hazelton, Ann (Ron Hammerick) Otwaska; her “adopted” daughter, Cheryl (Tim) Vorwald; brother, Paul Tomka, sister-in-law, Viola Braznell; grandchildren, Anthony Peasley, Diana (Shawn) Medasie, Sr., Erick (Katrina) Peasley, Nicole Ajtony, Jaclyn (Juan) Garcia, Kat Peasley, Matthew Peasley, Staci (Brian) Byers, Courtney (David Haywood) Otwaska, Jeremy (Trysta) Bull, Erica (Erik Peterson) Pansch; great-grandchildren, Shawn Medasie, Jr., Chase Medasie, Logan Medasie, Andrew Tompkins, Lilyana Peasley, Nathaniel Peasley, Dylan Thielen, Cameron Thielen, Emma Ajtony, Mason Ajtony, Michael Jacobsen, Anthony Bull and Aubree Bull and many other relatives and special friends. In addition to her husband, Anthony, she was preceded in death by her parents, Emery and Pauline Tomka, her in-laws, Peter and Anna (Kaplan) Otwaska, her sisters and brothers in law, Peter Otwaska, Virginia (August) Kupper, Norma (C.S. Ackley & Harold Klopfer) Ackley-Klopfer, Leonard (Dorthea) Otwaska & Stephen Braznell.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3101 Drexel Avenue with Rev. Nabil Muannes officiating. Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Hwy 32. Relatives and friends may meet with the family Friday at the church from 9:30 a.m. until time of Mass at 11:30 a.m. Memorials to the Catholic Woman’s Club of Racine or to the Racine Police Association have been suggested.
Please send condolences to Maresh-Meredith and Acklam Funeral Home.