Mary Jane O’Konski, left this earth on November 6, 2009 on her 32730th day to be rejoined with her husband of 62 years, Frank who preceded her in death on December 26, 2003.  Mary Jane was born to Anthony and Josephine Extine in Toledo, OH the 6th of 8 children.  On October 18, 1941, she married the love of her life, Frank W. O’Konski.
Mary Jane was a doer having organized the St. Anthony Campfire Girls (the first Campfire Girls in the Bedford area), the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Keen-agers and its Resurrection Choir.  She was a charter member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, a Cub Scout den mother, a St. Anthony’s School room mother, and a member of the Bedford Seniors and Erie Shores Birding Association of Monroe, Michigan.  In addition to her family, she was known as “Grandma Jane” to many other children she had nurtured over the years. Family and friends shared a joyful forty years at the cottage she and Frank built on Dewey Lake in the Irish Hills of Michigan.  Mary Jane was known for her excellent cooking, baking, sense of humor and her traditional bone in the soup.
Besides her parents and husband she was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Roger Patke. Brothers, Mike and Charles.  Sisters, Tessie, Sally and Helen.  She is survived by her 3 children, Mary Jo Patke of Columbus, OH, Frank (Diane, daughter-in-law and friend) of Montgomery, MI and Kathy (Daniel) Bucher of Perrysburg, OH.  Also ten grandchildren Jeff (Michelle) Leonard, Jennifer (Wes) Rommerskirchen, Shannon Patke, Shannon (James) Horvath, Amy (Matthew) Rowley, Emily (Ted) Jansen, Jodi (Josh) Wright, Courtney Cook, Stephanie (Robert) Hart and Dakotah Cook.  Great grandchildren in whom she found immense delight, Jessica and Brandon Garrett, Sarah and Toby Leonard, Benjamin and Kaylyn Horvath, Tessa Jansen, Kennedy and Addison Rowley, Frankie Cook Tkaczyk and baby boy Hart due December 15, 2009.  Also surviving is her special brother, Ed (Bud) Extine, sister Dorothy (Fred) Miller, In laws, Lou and Dixie Banachowski,  nieces, nephews, many friends and the dear staff and neighbors of Ivor Lindsay Apts in Temperance where her sense of humor will be greatly missed.

Visitation will be from 1-6 pm Sunday at the Michael W. Pawlak Funeral Home, 1640 Smith Rd. (at Jackman) Temperance, MI, where funeral services will be held Monday at 10:15 am with Mass of Christian Burial following at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church.  Interment will follow in the church cemetery.  Memorials may be made to Hospice of Northwest Ohio.  A special thanks to Dr. David Reames, M.D., for his compassionate care to Mary Jane and the entire staff at Hospice of Northwest Ohio.