Rose Sromek

1921-2025

Rose Sromek, age 103, of Thorp, passed away on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at Oakbrook Health and Rehabilitation in Thorp. Rose Marie Sromek was born in a small farm house in the Town of Roosevelt, rural Lublin, on Sept. 25, 1921 to the late Jacob and Angeline (Czyszon) Polak. She joined older sister Emily and older brother Chester and soon thereafter four other siblings, Harriet, Edward, Marie, and Tony. They farmed a few cows and her father worked out. Rose loved school attending a local one room school house until 8th grade. Rose went off to work very soon after graduation from 8th grade, first caring for children of several families in the Minneapolis area and then on to Telex in Minneapolis, assembling hearing aids.

Rose met Stan Sromek at a dance at Kit Kat in Thorp on one of her trips back home to visit her family. It quickly turned into love and they married on June 22, 1946, after Stan returned from the war. They enjoyed 70 years of marriage until Stan’s passing in 2016. At the same time of their marriage, Stan and Rose bought the family farm from Stan’s father, Peter. Because Stan had secured a job at Harrington Steel in Chicago, Ill., they initially chose to work both jobs, Stan coming home on the weekends, while Rose and their growing family worked the farm. They eventually chose to keep the farm only. It was then that Rose began working outside the home; first at Wolf Drugs in Thorp, then on to Peoples’ Exchange Bank, both in Thorp and Lublin. When she “retired” she worked at Zastrow’s Nursing Home. And then when she “retired” again, she cared for her grandchildren until they went to school.

Rose’s love was her family and everyone that came into her life was “family”. She enjoyed life and everything it had to offer, whether it was helping her son with barn chores or traveling the country or sitting on the swing with her sister, Harriet, sipping coffee and laughing about the ole days. Rose was an accomplished seamstress, sewing many beautiful dresses for her daughters, including all of the bridesmaid dresses for her daughter’s wedding. She enjoyed old movies, gardening, cooking, playing May I, and having an Old Fashioned. But most of all she enjoyed being with her family; her children and grandchildren were all very special to her and she treated each of them like her favorite. She never complained or cried…she just moved forward because she had faith in God and His plan for her.

She will be sadly missed by her children, Greg, Sharon (Pat) Schaefer, Jerry (Sandy), and Judy (Dewey) Cornell; her grandchildren, Lisa, Gregory (Chandra), Angela (Jason), Michael (Heather), Megan, and Bryce; and her great-grandchildren, Ethan, Gavin, Atom, Aurora, Olivia, Orion, Liam, Henry, Beatrix, and Weston. She has deeply touched all of their lives and her love will live on in each of them.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Angeline Polak; her daughter, Mary, in infancy; her daughter-in-law, Jeannie; all of her siblings and their spouses, Emily (Walter) Biernat, Chester (Dorothy) Polak, Harriet (Richard) Milstroh, Edward (Delores) Polak, Marie (Vince) Slowiak, and Tony (Helen) Polak; her loving husband, Stan; and his siblings and spouses, Frank (Eleanor) Sromek, William (Anne) Sromek, Milton (Celia) Sromek, Edward (Theresa) Sromek, and Stephanie (Stan) Reyzer; several nieces and nephews, and good friends.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 28 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church-Lublin with Father Joseph Stefancin officiating. Burial will follow in St. Stanislaus Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until time of service Monday at the church. Plombon Funeral Service assisted the family with arrangements.

Paid Obituary 167866