Louise (Takacs) Rzeszewski, 94, of New Carlisle, Ind. succumbed to complications from the coronavirus on Monday, June 22, 2020 at Hamilton Grove, New Carlisle.
She was born Aug. 28, 1925 in South Bend, Ind. to Julius A. and Mary (Kerekes) Takacs and was a lifelong area resident.
On Nov. 15, 1947 she married Clemens “Lenny” Rzeszewski.
She graduated from Central High School, where she was a cheerleader. She attended Purdue University, worked at the University of Notre Dame at the Lobund Laboratory, was the president of the Rosary Sodality at St. Jude Catholic Church for several years, and was involved in the Ecumenical Council in the 1960s. After raising her family, she was employed at the downtown J.C.Penney, happily working with the customers. Deeply dedicated to the environment and gardening, Louise started her own flowers and vegetables, and shared her plants and secret garden with family, friends, and visitors. Sewing, quilting, and league bowling were also her hobbies, but Louise’s special gift was her great cooking and baking wonderful homemade breads and Hungarian pastries for her family and friends.
Louise and her husband followed the LaPorte Slicers all the years that their twin grandsons, Brian and Keith Ziolkowski, played sports, and they attended their grandchildren’s school programs like Grandparents Day. Many LaPorte citizens will remember Louise and Lenny at the baseball and basketball games, both in LaPorte and on the road.
Louise was married to her husband, Lenny, for 66 years.
Preceding her in death were her husband on Nov. 7, 2013; son-in-law, Alan P. Bevill; two brothers, Julius E. and Jack Takacs; and brother-in-law, Neil Sherwood.
Survivors include two daughters, Barbara (Fred) Ziolkowski of New Carlisle and Carol Bevill of Trenton, Mich.; four grandchildren, Brian (Laura) Ziolkowski of Australia, Keith (Katie) Ziolkowski of Arkansas, Kimberly (Brian) Conaghan of Traverse City, Mich. and Stephanie (Ricardo) Solis of Shenandoah Junction, W.V.; eight great-grandchildren; a sister, Lillian Sherwood of Plymouth, Ind.; a sister-in-law, Peg Takacs of Las Vegas, Nev. and by many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday June 29, 2020, at the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Dr., South Bend. A private Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Jude Catholic Church, with private interment at Highland Cemetery, South Bend. The family requests that masks be worn.
Memorial contributions may be made to the local Alzheimer’s and Dementia Services of Northern Indiana, Inc., 922 E. Colfax Ave., South Bend, Ind. 46617 or to Pet Refuge, Inc., 4626 S. Burnett Dr., South Bend, Ind. 46614.
To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.