Regina K. Kowalski

Regina Kowalski, age 94, of Storm Lake, IA, triumphantly went to meet her Lord and Savior surrounded by her loving family on July 10, 2016, after a brief illness. Funeral mass will be held Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Burial will follow in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will take place Tuesday, July 12, 2016 from 5-7:00 p.m. with a rosary at 5:00 p.m. and a vigil service at 7:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. Regina Katarzyna Czuba was born on November 6, 1921 to parents Teodor and Maria (Matej) Czuba in rural Wysokie, Poland. She was the youngest of four children born to this hard working farm family. They grew many things including tobacco for the government, flowers, potatoes, and many vegetables. They kept honey bees and each had their own bee suit for harvesting as all of the children and her mother helped to keep up the farm. They went to town to sell their vegetables, flowers/plants, honey and butter that Maria made into the shape of a rose. (Which was a big seller!) They were a very musical family and Regina was a beautiful singer. She attended seamstress school in nearby Wysokie, which she said was a six kilometer walk one way but she didn’t mind, most days. When Regina was 18, their lives were forever changed when WWII broke out, and eventually both Russian and German soldiers invaded their farm and camped there for weeks determining how the two would split Poland in half. There were endless stories of life and death, bombings and miracles. After separation, work camps, and the liberation by the Americans, a young girl alone in northern Germany found her way back to her family in southern Germany. It was a glorious reunion. Regina had an excellent memory and enamored many with her stories of Poland. Her steadfast faith carried her through her most difficult times and she leaves a legacy of faith in God to her family. Miraculously and by God’s grace, all of her immediate family survived the war. After being displaced but together, their family was in a refugee camp in Germany for four years awaiting their fate. This is where she met Antoni Kowalski, a Polish POW. There were three suitors vying for her affection-but she was drawn to the way Tony looked after her family, always ensuring they had enough coal to keep warm. He must have warmed her heart because the two were married in that refugee camp on August 31, 1946. It was there that the family was forced to choose between staying in Poland, or going to Canada or the USA. The farm had been lost, so the decision was made to come to America. The road was difficult but they were determined to live the American dream. Tony and Regina were blessed with three daughters: Barbara, Teresa, and Joanne. After being sponsored by a farmer outside of Rembrandt for one year they made Storm Lake, IA their lifelong home. Regina worked briefly at the Bradford Hotel, but mainly worked as a homemaker making a loving home and caring for her children and her aging parents. She was an avid gardener and was never in short supply of vegetables or flowers. She was active in the funeral choir at church, Catholic Daughters of America, and St. Mary’s Guild. Full of hospitality-You could not escape a visit to Regina’s without something to eat. The grandkids always knew the candy dish would be fully stocked, and the freezer or cupboard would have a plate of cookies just awaiting their visit. She was proud to be an American and obtained her citizenship in 2007. She loved her family dearly and prayed for them without ceasing. Her frequent comments in her later years was just how lucky she was to have such a loving family to care for her, always grateful for any act of kindness towards her. She was poised, steadfast, and opinionated about her politics with an amazing experiential world view. Her family will remember her warmth, her love, her nurturing spirit, her beautiful Polish accent, her peonies, her many stories, her amazing garden, cherry soup, pierogi, bobka, and many Polish dishes. She will be dearly missed by all those that knew and loved her. Those left to cherish her memory include her children: Barb Pytel, Pleasant Hill, IA, Teresa Campbell, Storm Lake, IA, Joanne (Dave) Whittaker, West Des Moines, IA; eight grandchildren: Lisa (Jeff) Gazaway, Urbandale, IA, Mark (Ruth Rice) Toomer, Polk City, IA, Erin (Tim) Smith, Storm Lake, IA, Ashley Foster, Polk City, IA, Andrew Pytel, Pleasant Hill, IA, Emily (Will) Utter, Pleasant Hill, IA, Sara Wilson, Mishawaka, IN, and Hannah (fiancée Jeff Larson) Whittaker, Cedar Falls, IA; 13 great-grandchildren: Miranda, Gillian, Gavin and Samuel Toomer, Bennett, Avery, Eden and Emerson Smith, Brayden, AbreElla, Thomas and Trigg Utter, and Kallin Wilson; sister-in-law Bernice Czuba; cousin Dr. Leszek (Marissa) Marczewski, and many nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. Regina was preceded in death by her husband Antoni in 1991; her parents Teodor and Maria; her sister Sabina; brothers: Chester and Henry; infant twin siblings Amelia and John; and her son-in-law Richard Pytel.

Regina K. Kowalski

November 6, 1921 - July 10, 2016