Obituary of Maria Teresa Warnke

WARNKE, Maria (nee Iwaszkiewicz) passed away peacefully at Saint Brigid’s Home, Quebec City on the 21st of January 2018 at 91 years of age. Maria was the beloved wife of the late Jan Warnke and loving mother to the late Elizabeth (“Zosia”) Warnke and to her son Jan Warnke (Micheline Saint-Pierre), her granddaughter Arielle (Alan Lake) and her great-granddaughter Lou Warnke-Lake. She will be warmly remembered and greatly missed by other members of her family, Karen Jaeger-Ivers, Stacey Ivers, Iris Ivers, Barbara (“Basia”) Salva, and Monika Salva,her great-niece Krysia Zygmunt, her godson Carl Szaefer and her goddaughter Christine Tomlinson, her very close friend Joanna Kazanecki as well as numerous good friends from Sarnia and abroad. Maria leaves us with a rich history which she documented in her memoir “Dzidzia” written during her final years. Born in Bogdanowo, Poland she lived her adolescence during the German invasion of Poland. She served as a liaison agent in the Polish underground army under the command of Jan Warnke whom she married in 1945. They immigrated to Canada in 1948, settled in Sarnia, Ontario and started a family. During her 60 years in Sarnia, Maria worked actively together with her husband to develop and maintain the local Polish community. According to Maria’s wishes her ashes will be brought to Sarnia. Visitation at the McKENZIE & BLUNDY FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CENTRE, 431 N. Christina St., Sarnia, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 2-4 & 7-9 p.m.  Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Fr. Zbigniew Rodzinka at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 566 Rosedale Ave., Sarnia. Interment Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery.  The family warmly thanks the personnel at Maria’s initial residence at the Hostellerie du Parc des Braves, the staff of the Camille-Coulombe Pavilion at St-Sacrement Hospital, and the personnel at Saint-Brigid's Home with a special thanks to Dr. Martineau for her listening, support and empathy. The family encourages In Memoriam donations in lieu of flowers to: Fr. J. Pucka Memorial Fund, 566 Rosedale Ave., Sarnia, Ontario, N7V 1Z4. Messages of condolence and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com