Mary R. Gretka

Age 92. Beloved wife of the late Walter Gretka. Loving mother of Sr. Christine Gretka CSJ., Cynthia Schanz, Walter (Sally) Gretka Jr., the late Diana Paige, David (Patty) Gretka, and Paul (Nicola) Gretka. Dear grandmother of 8 and great grandmother of 4. Preceded in death by her her brothers Conrad, Frank, Joseph, and Thomas Kolniak, and her sister Victoria Zarbaugh. Mary was a long time member of the Women of Good Shepherd.

Visitation Thursday August 9, 2018 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 pm with a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. by Fr. Jim Bessert. Instate Friday August 10, 2018 12:15 p.m. followed by Mass at 12:45 p.m. at Christ the Good Shepherd Catholic Church (1540 Riverbank, Lincoln Park). Interment Our Lady of Hope Cemetery.

Mary Rose (Kolniak) Gretka was the fourth child born to Stanley and Victoria Kolniak who were immigrants from Poland. Polish was Mary's first language and she spoke both Polish and English throughout her life. She went by the name of Rose at school because there were five girls in her class named Mary; to avoid confusion, the teacher called them by their middle names. Her brothers and sister referred to her as Rose from then on. She came from a poor family; the children had to work at a young age to help with the family income. The neighborhood in which she grew up consisted of many polish families who became a community unto themselves. Mary lived down the street from her future husband, Walter, not knowing someday he would become the love of her life. While he was serving in the Army in Okinawa and Korea, Mary wrote many letters in English on behalf of his mother to send to him.


On February 15, 1947, Mary and Walter were married at Saint John Cantius Church. Together they had 6 children, all of whom attended Catholic School for twelve years. Mary and Walter taught and modeled for their children important values: family, love, faith, sacrifice, generosity, humor, and being true to oneself.


Mary was very committed to the Church. She was an active member of Christ the Good Shepherd Parish until her health prevented her from doing so. She attended church every Sunday with the whole family. For many years she volunteered as a lunch mother at the parish elementary school, worked bingos at Aquinas High School, and belonged to the Women of Good Shepherd, serving as corresponding secretary for a short time, and working on many of the parish fundraisers.


Mary and Walter were married for 27 years. In March of 1974, Walter died suddenly from a massive heart attack. At the age of 48, with three children still in high school, Mary's life changed drastically. In her deep grief, she had to find a way to support her family financially, so she began applying for jobs. For several years, until retiring, she worked in the jewelry department (in diamonds) at Service Merchandise, often times speaking Polish to customers who had difficulty with English.


Mary loved her family and her grandchildren; she always looked forward to spending time with them. She loved family gatherings and family reunions. She enjoyed gardening and planting flowers, and meticulously took care of the yard as well as the many plants in her home. Mary liked music, musicals, playing cards, especially pinochle and Michigan Rummy, and working puzzles. Mary also kept up with the political scene, whether local or national; she watched the Lincoln Park City Council Meetings on TV every week. Mary was very friendly, liked to talk either in person or on the phone. In her late 70's and early 80's she would drive a few women to Church every Saturday to make sure they had rides there. Mary was a beautiful person who became even more loving, grateful, and humorous as she aged and eventually came to live at Applewood Nursing Center for almost 5 years.