Mrs. Mary Marcella Maciolek

Mary Marcella Maciolek Mary Marcella Maciolek (nee Kozlowski) wsa born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children born to John and Anna Kozlowski. Her family moved first to Youngstown, Ohio, but when her father got a job at Ford Motor Company, they made the trek to Detroit. Surprisingly, her future husband moved to the same location and with their 13- year age difference, Mary was the little girl around the corner playing hopscotch. Mary grew up on the west side of Detroit, attending St. Hedwig grade school. Money was tight during the depression and Mary was anxious to get to work. She wanted to become a nurse but after learning she'd have to cut open small animals in biology, she decided to change plans, quit school, and went to work in a laundry where she ironed up to 100 shirts per day. When she turned 18 years old, she and her friends would often attend Sunday dances at St. Hedwig where James Maciolek asked her to dance. The very first time he took her for a spin around the dance floor, he told her he would marry her. She was taken aback but also intrigued. She joined the church choir to spend more time with him. He proposed in front of the Blessed Mother statue in church. The following year they wed. They were married for 66 years when James died in 2003. The newlyweds lived with her parents for the first years of their marriage. When their second son was born, her parents strongly suggested they find a place of their own. James had saved $500 as a down payment, and they were able to buy a home. In all, Mary worked full time while raising six children, four sons and two daughters: Joseph, Leonard, Gregory, Elaine, Philip, and Cynthia. She had 8 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and 2 great- great grandchildren. Crocheting was a favorite hobby for years, creating many intricate doilies with her lightning-fast fingers. No one could spin a crochet needle quite as fast as Mary. In later years she worked with yarn, and taught herself needlepoint on plastic canvas. Mary loved to work outside the house in the fresh air. Right up until the time she moved to Las Vegas, at the age of 93, she mowed the lawn of her Detroit home with a push mower twice a week, as well as spend hours trimming and weeding on her knees. But she didn't just do it around her house. Mary was a well-loved fixture in the neighborhood and helped others keep up their lawns, rake their leaves, and sweep the street in front of their homes when they were physically unable to do so. If it sparkled, Mary loved it! She often glued sequins onto favorite greeting cards and kept them on display year round. For a number of years, Mary traveled by car with her son, Leonard, all around the United Stated and Canada. She often collected magnets from her adventures and displayed them on her refrigerator. It was like a treasure hunt to find the new ones as the entire surface of the refrigerator was covered with colorful magnets. After James retired, he and Mary took up dancing as a hobby. First ballroom, then round, swing, and square dancing. Like a couple of teenagers, the two of them danced as much as five times a week and occasionally performed at local events. Mary has more square dancing outfits than most women have shoes. In her later years, Mary loved to watch television. At times watching four shows at once. She loved a good story with action, so mystery and crime shows were her favorites. She watched daily marathons of NCIS, Criminal Minds, and other similar series. Oh, except for Saturday nights when she adored The Lawrence Welk Show. Mary's love of family was tops on her list of priorities, as well as her love of God. She was as inspiration to us all, and we will miss her smiling face and quick wit. We love you, Mom!!