Obit: Alger, Martha Evangeline (1919 - 2016)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Alger, Polnaszek, Kobylarczyk, Hadzima, Nesvacil, Rycz, Hoffman

----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 1/27/2016

Alger, Martha Evangeline (11 June 1919 - 23 January 2016)

Martha Evangeline (nee Kobylarczyk) Alger peacefully passed to eternal rest on January 23, 2016. Martha was born on June 11, 1919, in Thorp, Wisconsin to Joseph and Julianna (nee Polnaszek) Kobylarczyk as the sixth of eleven children. She lived a faith-inspired life of over 96 years, filled with significant memories from living in Chicago, IL, Thorp and Hudson, WI, enduring the Great Depression and World War II, enjoying a lifetime of travel, and raising ten children on the beautiful 40 acre homestead she built with her husband.

Martha spoke fondly of her early years on the Kobylarczyk family farm in the Poznan are east of Thorp. Hard work, gardens filled with vegetables and flowers, homemade feasts, and family gatherings were the theme of each story she shared. Her childhood home was filled with love and music, and as a teenager she danced polkas and waltzes with her siblings and friends at local dances performed by her brother’s polka band, The Harmony Pals.

She attended the first elementary classes of the Sterling School, where she and her siblings walked five miles each day. After graduating from Thorp High School in 1937, Martha moved to Chicago to work for Western Electric Manufacturing Company. She also worked for Bunt Brothers Candy Company where, because of her beautiful Palmer Method penmanship, she wrote sweetheart messages on the chocolate truffles. At night, she joined family and friends dancing to the tunes of Big Band live orchestras.

She met Cyril J. Alger on the dance floor in Thorp where she taught him how to dance. Dancing became a big part of their life and they often danced to their favorite song, “My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You.” Shortly after he returned from serving in World War II, on January 12, 1946, she became his loving wife. The traditional three-day Polish wedding activities were captured in beautiful photos and memories, where she was surrounded by her family and friends and of course, the love of her life.

Her home was wrapped with lush flower gardens she tended to daily. Rows of vegetables filled a robust garden. Apples from her orchard provided amply for the best pie and jam. Celebration and tradition were a big part of making her house a home. From the special “rainbow cake” she made for each of her children’s birthdays to a meticulously planned Christmas celebration with antique ornaments for the tree, religious masses and activities, delicious holiday meals, and presents cleverly hidden until Christmas Eve. Whether a casual drop-in or a planned celebration, everyone left her home with a delicious edible treat, freshly picked vegetables, or clippings from her abundant flower garden.

She enjoyed a 40-year career as a chef or head cook for many of the local weddings, funerals, and banquets including hosting an event for the Governor of Wisconsin. After a childhood spent in her mother and grandmother’s kitchen, she developed her professional culinary skills at the American Legion Hall alongside her husband, who leaner his skill as a lead chef for officers in World War II. None of her success as chef could have been done without the constant kitchen and dining support from her friends, church circle ladies, and other volunteers whom she greatly appreciated. In her crisply pressed apron, she greeted guests with a brilliant smile and warm hug, knowing that they were minutes away from enjoying a delicious meal.

As a member of the Thorp American Legion Auxiliary, Martha was recognized for her commitment to fundraising selling red poppies every Memorial Day weekend to honor and support our nation’s veterans. He was also an active member of a St. Bernard-St Hedwig’s Catholic Church women’s circle and of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Travel was a big part of her life. She enjoyed the sunshine, seeing the sites and dipping her toes in the ocean in Hawaii and California. She traveled to other western states from Minnesota to Washington and interesting sites in- between. On one trip to Washington CD she carried offertory for Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception after touring the White House and being a guest of the oval office. Sunday afternoon drives were a special time where she and her family rode miles through the countryside fueled by a delicious roadside picnic.

She was remarkably healthy until recent years. Frailty and weakness never held her back from playing Bingo with her friends or 500 Rummy with her grandchildren. She was endlessly characterized as the ‘social one’ by all who knew her. To keep her mind sharp, she would sit in her glider rocker and work the New York Times crossword puzzle everyday but nothing excited her more than her unrelenting passion for the Green Bay Packers.

Martha is lovingly remembered by her six sons: Dan (Patty), Edina, MN; Arnie, Seattle, WA; Gary, Chicago, IL; John, Hudson, WI; and three daughters: Karen (Jerry) Hadzima, Hudson, WI; Holly (Jamal) Alger, Washington, DC; and Alicia (Mike) Nesvacil, St. Paul, MN; and daughter-in-law, Lorraine (Chuck) Alger, Shell Lake, WI. She will be missed by her sisters: Josephine (John) Rycz, Margie (Don) Hoffman, and Pauline Kobylarczyk. She has touched the hearts of 31 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren, and many other relatives and numerous friends.

Martha is welcomed to heaven by her husband, Cyril Joseph, who passed away on the same date 37 years ago; her sons: Charles John and Joseph Matthew; and her parents, Julianna and Joseph Kobylarczyk; as well as seven brothers and sisters.

All are invited to celebrate the life and memories of Martha at a 10:30 a.m. Christian Mass on Thursday, January 28, 2016, at St. Bernard-St. Hedwig Catholic Church in Thorp, Wisconsin. Visitation will be held the evening prior at Thorp Funeral Home from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., with a 7:15 p.m., Legion Auxiliary Service, followed by a Rosary at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will also be held at the church, on Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. until time of service.

Wieczny Odpoczynek racz mu dac Panie! (Eternal Rest, Grant unto her O Lord!)