Mary Catherine Haubrich Jelinski, 90, passed away on December 28, 2014. She was born on April 6, 1924 in Wyandotte, Michigan to William Bernard Haubrich and Mary Madelyn Kowaleski. She was the oldest of three children. While growing up, Mary learned the values of hard work, compassion, and the importance of family ‚ values that she carried with her throughout her life.
Mary attended St. Patrick's High School in Wyandotte and graduated as class Valedictorian in 1942, in the midst of World War II. Mary met her future husband, Casimir (Cass) Jelinski, at St. Patrick's. Following Cass's service in the war, the two were married at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church on November 26, 1949. They remained in Wyandotte where they raised their two daughters. They also owned and operated Frank's Cafe, which was widely known in the Detroit area for their Fish Fry every Friday. After Cass's death in 1979, Mary continued to operate the business for 23 additional years on her own. Mary often said that she could not have worked as long as she did had it not been for the many patrons who became life long friends.
Her family remembers Mary as a loving, devoted, and tireless mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She taught them all by example to be independent, hard-working and live a life of service to others. She did all of this with grace, elegance, composure and style. Mary loved home decorating and gardening, was an expert seamstress, and loved crafts. One of her favorite pastimes was her Euchre Card Club in Wyandotte where she had many cherished friends. She also gave a lifetime of service to St. Joseph's Parish. During her last four years, Mary moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to live close to family. She was a continual model of resilience and strength to her family and all those who knew her, especially as she dealt with health problems.
Mary is survived by her two daughters, Janet (Lloyd) Hansen and Catherine (William) Polley; seven grandchildren, Lynn, Kara, Owen, Heather, Derek, Julie and Laura; and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Casimir and granddaughter, Laura, and her two brothers, Joseph and William.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 2, 2015 at 10:00 am at St. Vincent Pallotti Parish, St. Joseph's Church (344 Elm Street, Wyandotte, Michigan). There will be an in state visit with the family from 9 to 9:45 AM preceding the funeral mass. Internment will be held at Michigan Memorial Cemetery.
