Irena Makarewicz

STREATOR — Irena Makarewicz, 93, of Streator, and formerly of Poland, passed away Monday, Nov. 5, at Heritage Health Therapy and Senior Care.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Streator. The Rev. Father Ryan Mattingly will officiate. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at Solon-Telford Funeral Home in Streator. Burial will be in St. Casimir Cemetery in Streator. Friends and family will serve as pallbearers.

Born Feb. 4, 1925, in Wilno, Poland, she was the daughter of Stanislaw and Salomea (Frackiewicz) Zardzin. She married Mikolaj Makarewicz. He preceded her in death in 1999.

She is survived by a daughter, Barbara (Andrzej) Karkowska, of Poland; grandchildren, Katarzyna (Zbigniew) Jedrzejczak and Phill (Brook) Makarewicz; great-grandchildren, Antonina Jedrzejczak and Noah Makarewicz; a brother, Tadeusz (Margaret) Zardzin; a daughter-in-law, Anna Makarewicz; best friends, John and Kathy Drapa, of Streator; and many nieces and nephews also survive. She also leaves behind many close friends both in the United States and in Poland.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and a son, Jerzy Makarewicz.

Born and raised in Poland, she came to Streator in 1975 at the age of 50.

She worked at Owens-Illinois in the selecting department for many years. After her retirement, Irena focused on working with children. She had several years of service with TCOC Foster Grandparent Program before spending time with the children at St. Anthony School. She was known to all the kids as “Grandma Irene.”

She was a hard worker and perfectionist in her work. She was a positive person and always had a story to tell. She loved to talk about politics and was an election judge for many years.

She was a member of the former St. Casimir Church and currently belonged to St. Michael the Archangel Church. She was also a member of the Altar and Rosary Society of her church and the Polish National Alliance.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Michael the Archangel School or the family of Irena Makarewicz.

Condolences may be left for the family at solontelford.com.

Solon-Telford Funeral Home

301 S. Park St., Streator, IL 61364

815-672-2320 solontelford.com