Sophie Graikowski

Sophie Margaret Bednarz Graikowski, 98, passed away on May 20, 2009, at the Medalion Care Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. She was born Oct. 30, 1910, in Minneapolis, Minn., to parents Paul Bednarz and Mary Godek. She was married 52 years to Michael Graikowski, who passed away in 1984. They had a daughter, Dorothy Sutton, and a son, Robert Graikowski, plus eight grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren. She was the oldest of her siblings, Joseph Bednarz, Anne Casey and Julie Matan, who all preceded her in death, as did great granddaughter Alaina. Sophie was the ultimate homemaker and Grandma who put supper on the table every day, and was in her element cooking and hosting each month's family gathering to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Some of her specialties were black-cherry cream-cheese jello, Polish kolacky pastries, and Easter glazed ham with a side of coconut bunny cake. On Christmas Eve, it was a favorite tradition for everyone to open gifts one at a time so each could be acknowledged, which of course took hours. In the summer, she and Grandpa hosted a Father's Day BBQ in their manicured Chicago backyard lined with peonies and rose bushes, and served delicious fall-off-the-bone spare ribs. She was a talented seamstress who made clothes for her family, sewed drapes and slipcovers for friends and neighbors, and worked part-time in the drapery department at Sears for ten years. She became especially popular with her teen grandkids for buying them the chart-topping 45s each week. She and Mike enjoyed regular penny-ante poker parties with their friends, who made keepsake fans of dollar bills for each other's milestone wedding anniversaries. The couple liked to travel and went to Europe for their 35th anniversary and Hawaii for their 40th. Sophie did not drive, but was adept at using Chicago's transit system. She took the grandkids downtown many years to see the holiday store windows and multi-story Christmas tree at Marshall Field. The ride on the el train that ran just feet from tenement back porches was as memorable as the sights themselves. On non-holiday visits, an outing was typically to the park or the Ben Franklin to pick out a toy or game, with a side trip to White Castle or Burger King. As great grandma, she was just as generous while babysitting, letting the granddaughters play with her clothes and makeup, and giving them laundry quarters for a snack from the vending machines. Her favorite restaurant was Red Lobster, where she ordered shrimp scampi. Her favorite activity was Bingo, which she played frequently, enjoyed immensely and won often. And her dearest friend was Jessie Tallman, also a Medalion resident, who was a card-playing buddy, dinner partner, hand-holding companion and confidante, and often helped Sophie in ways that her family could not. Sophie was a Catholic who regularly prayed for her entire family, and was especially fond of the Polish Pope John Paul. In later years, Sophie endured arthritis that eventually necessitated three knee joint replacement surgeries. It slowed her down, but didn't dampen her spirit. She was a woman who corresponded with family and friends throughout her life, and remembered birthdays and special occasions. Each month, she would pencil the date of each occasion in the corner of the pre-addressed envelopes so she would know when to send them. It was no surprise when so many sent Sophie commemorative cards and notes for her 75th birthday scrapbook, and came to visit from near and far to celebrate her 80th, 90th and 95th birthdays. It meant so much to her to be remembered in a tangible way, and the cards, notes, photos and mementos literally covered the walls of her room at the care center through her very last day. A funeral service for Mrs. Graikowski will be held on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at Bohlender Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow at Resthaven Memory Gardens Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Sophie Graikowski Memorial Fund in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive St., Ft. Collins, CO 80524.