Obit: Olejniczak, Irene Florence #2 (1925 - 2004)
Contact:  Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon

Surnames: Olejniczak, Oleyniczak, Harycki, Pratt, Pomeroy, Bates, Schilling

----Sources: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark County, WI.) July 21, 2004

Olejnicazk, Irene Florence (August 20, 1925 - July 14, 2004)

Irene F. Olejniczak, age 78, of Thorp, died at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, on Wednesday, July 14, 2004.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2004 at St. Bernard-St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in Thorp. Father Donald Wilger officiated and burial followed in New St. Hedwig’s Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers were Bill Bates, Landis Pratt, Jeff Marcotte, Jay Pomeroy, Hartley Schilling and Steve Harycki. Visitation was held at the Thorp Funeral Home on Friday, July 16, 2004 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., with a 7:30 rosary service.

Irene Florence Harycki was born on August 20, 1925, in rural Thorp, the daughter of Barnard and Victoria (Oleyniczak) Harycki. She was raised and educated in Thorp, graduating from Thorp High School in 1943. Irene then moved to Chicago, where she worked for a short time. On October 24, 1944, Irene was united in marriage to Joseph Olejniczak at St. Mary’s PNCC in Lublin. They lived and farmed in the Lublin area until 1951, at which time they moved to Thorp. In 1960, Irene went to work for Wolf Drug’s in Thorp, and then later worked at the Thorp Dairy Bar. She retired in 1984 after working several years at the Thorpedo Restaurant. She was a member of St. Bernard-St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church and its PCCW, and was a wonderful homemaker with many interests, including: gardening, ceramics, canning, picking strawberries and making jams, crocheting, sewing, quilting and tatting.

Irene will be sadly missed by her husband, Joseph, of Thorp; her children: Sandra Pratt of Bloomington, IL; Shirley Olejniczak of Milwaukee; Susan Olejniczak-Pomeroy of Minneapolis; Barbara (Bill) Olejniczak-Bates of St. Germain, WI; Carmen Olejniczak (Hartley Schilling) of Duluth, MN; Wayne Olejniczak of San Antonio, TX; Vivian Olejniczak of Marshfield; four grandchildren: Jason Pomeroy, Landis Pratt, Hanna and Robin Olejniczak; and three brothers: Conrad (Donna) Harycki of Chippewa Falls; Edmund (Martha) Harycki of Milwaukee; and Vernon Harycki of Thorp.

She was preceded in death by her parents.