Alice C. Jekanowski

[ Originally published on: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 ]

GREENFIELD -- Alice C. (Serowick) Jekanowski, 93, formerly of Sunderland, died on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

She was born in Whately on Aug. 8, 1916. Her parents were the late Faustin and Mikalena (Konatski) Serowick. Her mother died two years later during the influenza epidemic of 1918. Several years after he remarried her stepmother, Anna Molcz.

Alice worked to support herself since she was 16 years old. Always busy and productive, she found the food service industry to be a perfect fit for her talents. She retired from the University of Massachusetts as the supervisor of the Franklin Dining Commons. Prior to that she cooked and baked at the Paul Mel Farms restaurant. Built on Route 5 and 10 in Whately before Route 91 was constructed, the restaurant drew many celebrities going north to Vermont. She cooked for Arthur Godfrey, the McGuire Sisters and Arlene Francis to name a few. While at UMass, she supervised the meals for the Boston Patriots at their training camp, meeting many of the players.

Alice was a member of St. Ann's Sodality and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Society at Holy Family Church in South Deerfield. While a parishioner there she was in charge of the kitchen food service for bingo night. Her homemade coconut custard pie was always sold out before the counter was open.

She has been a resident of Buckley HealthCare Center for the last 4½ years. As a resident of Elm Terrace, she participated in many activities there and enjoyed running the bingo games. She always felt very well cared for and that everyone there made a real home for her.

Survivors include her daughters, Patricia M. Conway and her husband Peter W. Conway of Gill and Betty Norwood and her husband Terry Norwood of Conway; four grandchildren, Kevin M. Conway of Sparks, Nev.; David A. Conway and his wife Dawn-Marie Conway of Greenfield; Jean Woodley and her husband Jay Woodley of North Carolina; Terri Berg and her husband Jonah Berg of New Jersey. Alice was Great Babci to Zachery Conway and Matthew Conway of Greenfield and Samara Berg of New Jersey.

Her sisters, Frances Jekanowski and Helen Bak, predeceased her, as well as her brothers, Walter and Chester; her stepbrothers, Stanley and Lester Molcz. Her youngest brother Henry resides in Maryland. She was predeceased by her husband, Eugene James Jekanowski, formerly of Hadley. He worked for many years with local area farmers in the produce business.

The funeral will be Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. from the Drozdal Funeral Home, 29 Elm St., South Deerfield, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 in Holy Family Church. Burial will be in St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

Calling hours at the funeral home are this evening from 5 to 7.

Memorials may be made to Buckley HealthCare Center Activity Fund, 95 Laurel St., Greenfield, MA 01301.

 

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