- Date Of Birth: December 25, 1918
- Date Of Death: February 4, 2017
- State: Michigan
Eleanor Katherine Niemiec, daughter of Frederick and Augusta (Hine) Yack, was born December 25, 1918. She was second to the last of sixteen children. On February 4, 2017, at the age of ninety eight, she became the last of them to die. She died painlessly and peacefully shortly after suffering a stroke.
She attended Midland Public Schools and worked for ten years at Dow Chemical after graduating high school. She was a civilian worker in California for the U.S. Navy during WWII. After returning to Midland she met George Niemiec. They married May 8, 1948. They were together for fifty seven years until his death in 2005. He also worked at Dow Chemical after serving in the U.S. Army during the war. He was in plant protection until they decided to open their own business, originally Niemiec’s Triangle Standard Gasoline and Service Station.
They proceeded to build a family as their business grew and expanded to become two Bay Gasoline Stations with car repair service, tool rental, animal food and U-Haul rental. Eleanor did all their book keeping while being a stay at home mom to their four children: David (Melanie) Niemiec of New York, NY, Sally Crotzer of Midland, Ned (Jan) Niemiec of Lakeville, MA, and Joanne (Chris Dexter) Cergnul of Sanford. Also during those years she was always volunteering at the elementary school, hospice and working with disabled children and adults. She was a lifelong member of St. John’s Lutheran Church where she taught Sunday School, helped at the day school and Bible School, worked at funeral and church dinners, was in Bell Choir and Bible Study. She loved to visit nursing home residents and the home bound even into her ninety eighth year. She loved God and did all she could to magnify him and his kingdom. She loved her family and friends. She cared for anyone who needed help. She loved life and exercised daily until her stroke wanting to stay with us and stay strong and useful.
All the Niemiec Children survive her, as do her seven grandchildren: Elijah, Ezekiel and Esther Crotzer; Elizabeth ( Marc Braunstein) and Margaret Niemiec; and Dominic and Alexander Cergnul. She also had five great grandchildren: Rowen Crotzer; Cassandra, Caleb and Carson Crotzer; and Baby George Braunstein.
Our thanks: to Pastor Kempin & Vicar Josh Parsons; to her multitude of friends, especially the girls ( you know who you are) ; to her Doctors (especially Dr. Weeks), her nurses, her hospice providers, her ambulance teams for making her last days the best that they could be. Thank You.
