It’s been a few weeks, but it feels unreal that my mom is gone. The brightest light in my life has gone out.
After battling brain cancer for three years, my mom passed away on March 23, 2024. This isn’t something I’ve shared much about, though it’s occupied my mind every minute of the day since her diagnosis.
Despite a really terrible prognosis, my mom did so much since her surgery back in February 2021 and all the subsequent treatments and therapy sessions. She traveled to Maine, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and all across Wisconsin. She celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary in spectacular style (and her 41st too!). My mom gained a daughter-in-law. She attended comedy and drag shows. She shopped so many craft fairs and street festivals. She played countless games of cribbage and cards. My mom did so much.
And she continued to love us all as well. When my mom finally woke up after a long recovery, she knew my dad, my family and me. She made us all feel incredibly loved, and that’s something I’ll carry with me forever.
It’s been a really tough few weeks since losing my mom, so even though I could write about her for the rest of my life, I’ll leave you all with her obituary:
Nancy Ann (Michalek) Kaminski passed away March 23, 2024 surrounded by her loving family. Nancy was born to Norma (Brannan) Michalek on March 10, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
From an early age, Nancy had a knack for creating. As a girl she spent weekends sewing with her grandmother. Nancy would practice this skill for decades to come. She worked at a seamstress at Gimbels and continued to sew throughout her life. Nancy made clothing and costumes for her children, altered clothing for friends and family, stitched up projects to decorate her home, and made plenty of scrub jackets, surgical caps, and masks for the many doctors and nurses she worked with throughout her careers.
Nancy also happily spent countless hours in the kitchen, a passion she inherited from her mother. Those lucky enough to know Nancy surely indulged in many of her baked goods and wonderful dinners. Nancy’s talents gained her recognition in the form of Wisconsin State Fair ribbons, an article in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and plenty of requests to share her recipes (which she did happily).
Beyond crafting and baking, Nancy enjoyed her garden. She had a special love for beautiful flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Hardly a summer day went by without Nancy pulling out just one more weed before she ran out to spend time with family and friends.
Because Nancy never liked to sit still, she filled any spare time she could with games of cribbage with her husband Allen, traveling, bumming with her sisters and daughters, and volunteering at Ascension Columbia-St. Mary’s.
What Nancy was most known for, however, was her warmth, kind heart, and infectious laugh. These qualities made Nancy an incredible wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Nancy is survived by her husband of nearly 42 years, Allen; sisters Debby and Mary Michalek; children James, Charles, Chad Kowalewski (Katie), Heather Kowalewski, Angela, and Lisa (Michael Stock); and grandchildren Benjamin and Anna Kowalewski. She is further survived by many, many friends.
Nancy is loved beyond measure and will be deeply missed by all those who knew her.
I worked with your mom for many years. I was the recipient of many of her baked goods, recipes and she even sewed a apron for my daughter when she was little. She shared stories with me about many different topics. I was so sorry to hear about your mom’s cancer diagnosis. Sending my deepest sympathy to your whole family.
Jackie S.