Ina R. Wozniak

Wozniak Ina R. Bay City, Michigan Ina Ruth (Kram) Wozniak passed away in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 4, 2013 at McLaren Bay Region in Bay City, Mich. She was 79 years old. Family was the center of Ina's life, and as the mother of five, grandmother of eight, sister to 10 siblings, aunt to dozens of nieces and nephews, and great aunt to dozens more, hers was a large life. Her greatest joys came from being together with family, whether it was for an informal game of cards, a holiday meal, or the annual Kram Family Reunion. The daughter of the late Joseph and Mary (Adamowski) Kram, Ina was born July 30, 1933 on her family's farm on Bay City's West Side. Years later, she would often joke that she was born in the parking lot of the Meijer store on Wilder Road in Bay City, which was built on the same plot of land. Growing up on the farm instilled a tremendous work ethic in Ina. At age 18 she got a job at Bay City Chevrolet, where she worked for 14 years until she and her husband -- the late Norbert Wozniak, whom she married on Oct. 29, 1960 -- welcomed their third child. From that point on in her life as a stay-at-home mom, Ina's work ethic was reflected in the meticulous house she kept and the made-from-scratch meals all of her children remember fondly. When Ina became a grandmother, of course, the cabbage rolls and pierogis gave way to pies, cakes, and cookies. Ina loved baking for her grandchildren almost as much as she loved teaching them their ABCs and 123s. She was her grandchildren's biggest fan, and attended their sporting events and dance recitals whenever she could. A lifelong Catholic, Ina was a member of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and the League of Catholic Women and Men. She and Norbert dutifully sacrificed to send all of their children to St. Stanislaus Elementary School and All Saints Central High School. Sacrifice would become another theme of Ina's life. Family members might recall the daily meals she delivered to her mother-in-law, the late Blanche (Jankowiak) Wozniak, during the years that Blanche battled Alzheimer's disease. Ina was stoic in her sacrifices for others, and as health problems began to limit her physically, her stoicism remained ever-present right to her final days. Surviving are her children: Leon Wozniak and his wife Eileen Maday of Bay City, Jeffrey Wozniak and his wife Mary of Linwood, Daniel Wozniak and his wife Monica Harris of Bay City, Janet Ciesla and her husband Allan Ciesla of Bay City, and Curt Wozniak and his wife Shelly Klein of Grand Rapids; her grandchildren: Savannah Wozniak, Stacy and Kaytlin Wozniak, Samantha Harris, Nicholas and Jenna Ciesla, and Martin and Nora Wozniak; her sisters: Helen Heffner, Evelyn Jacobs, Irene Gwizdala and her husband Joseph, Kay Richards, Marge Schindehette and her husband Brad, and Viola Kowalski; and her brother: Bill Kram. In addition to her parents and husband, Ina was also predeceased by her brothers Wilfred and John Kram, and sister Pauline Donakowski. The Funeral Mass will take place Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 2 p.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 712 Columbus Ave., Bay City, Mich., with private inurnment in St. Stanislaus Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the Gephart Funeral Home, 201 West Midland St., Bay City, Mich., on Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. The Vigil for the Deceased will take place Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Mrs. Wozniak will be taken to the church on Wednesday to lie in state from 1 p.m. and until the time of the Mass. Memorial cards for the American Heart Association or the American Lung Association will be available