Mrs. Margaret Grace (Janiszewski) Woida
Mrs. Margaret Grace (Janiszewski) Woida, 96, entered into eternal peace February 10, 2018 at the Rogers City, Michigan Health Center (known to many as Tendercare). She was born September 16, 1921 in Detroit to Anna (Glomski) and Joseph Janiszewski.
Grace was the firstborn of two girls (Florence – d. July 15, 2012) and four boys (Arthur – d. March 25, 2012, Harold, Joseph, and Harry).
In grade school she was advanced two grades in one year, twice, and graduated from high school at age 16 in Prescott in a class of 20. As a young woman in her early 20s she served her country on the home front by contributing to the tremendous industrial effort that supplied the war abroad. As part of a work force consisting almost entirely of young single women known as “Rosie the Riveters,” she inspected engine parts for military aircraft from 1941 to 1944 at a plant north of Detroit, in Ferndale. Her war memorial may be seen at http://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=1371594.
Grace often rode the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad to Orchard located on Metz Highway northwest of Posen, to visit her future husband, Henry, in 1943 – 44. On one of the train’s last runs through Orchard in July of 2010, Grace rode from Orchard to Calcite and back, in the locomotive with the engineer. Henry Joseph Woida proposed to her Christmas 1943. She married him February 19, 1944 in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Turner and worked alongside him on a dairy and potato farm in Orchard until his death April 5, 1983.
She had many years of experience picking potatoes, hauling hay, milking cows, feeding livestock and performing all the other farming duties, along with cooking and baking for her family and the large crews that helped with sowing crops, harvesting potatoes and hay, and threshing the grains raised on the farm in the mid-20th century.
Grace often canned as many as 500 quarts of farm and garden produce each summer and often baked up to six loaves of bread a day. The seventh loaf of dough was reserved for her much relished cinnamon rolls and krusciki (Polish fritters). Her homemade bread was famous far and wide and in great demand by relatives and visitors.
She was a lifelong member of St. Casimir Catholic Church in Posen and the church’s Rosary Society; an avid gardener, especially in her precious flower beds; a crossword and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast; a pinochle player; a devoted Detroit Tigers’ fan; and a Michigan Senior Companion Program volunteer. She provided love, care and companionship to the elderly at many foster care and nursing homes over the years. Many of them were younger than she was as she continued to do this work diligently until she was 95.
She was well-travelled, having been, to Poland, Italy (where she saw her beloved Saint Pope John Paul II), Switzerland, Germany (where she attended the 350-year anniversary showing of the “Oberammergau Passion Play” in Bavaria), and Holland, as well as several states in the U.S. She spent some of northern Michigan’s harsh winters in Huntsville, Alabama with her son, Carl, but always missed and was happier returning to her farm home in Posen. Margaret Grace leaves loving memories cherished by her nine children, Carl (Ruth) of Huntsville, Alabama and Grand Lake, Michaelene (Chuck) McLeod of Bridgeport, Leo (Pam) of Posen, Richard (Nicole – d. 2013) of Lincoln Park, Kathleen of Des Moines, Iowa, Henry Jr. (Katie) of Saginaw, Andrew (Julie) of Davisburg, Mary (Bill) Gustafson of Rogers City and Josephine (Wes) Thornburg of Montrose; as well as three brothers, Harold (aka Tiny), Joseph and Harry; 27 grandchildren, Alexander Woida, Diana (Woida) Locke, Heather (William) Hart, Charles McLeod, John McLeod (d. 2004), William McLeod, Dawn (Woida) Cousins, Joseph Woida, Michaelene (Woida) Kroll, Isaac Woida, Adam Woida (d. 2007), Richard Woida, Scott Woida, Rachel Woida, Marissa Woida, Benjamin Woida-Clark, Janelle Woida, Henry Woida, Jennifer (Woida) Cherry, Andrew Woida, Eric Woida, Donald Gustafson (d. 2017), Paul Gustafson, Celeste (Thornburg) Glenn, Ethan Thornburg, Matthew Thornburg and Shannon (Thornburg) Bolduc; 26 great-grandchildren, Taylor Woida, Glenna (Lexi) Woida, Andrew Locke, Christopher Locke (d. 2006), John Palmer, Skye Gates, Grace Cousins, Faith Cousins, Jos
Friends may visit at St. Casimir Catholic Church today (Thursday) from 10 a.m. through time of Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will take place in the spring at St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements are in care of the Beck Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be addressed through www.beckfuneralhome.org.