It is often said, the Lord never gives us more burden than we can bear. We each carry our own cross through life and the challenges and tribulations make us stronger in spirit. Arlene Witek was the greatest example of this, a woman who bore her cross without complaint, and without fail. She was a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, and a friend and public servant to all who knew her. Most of all, Arlene was an example of the power of the human spirit to persevere. Arlene's story began on a cold winter day on February 18, 1935, as the winds whipped off the lake in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Those were such hopeful times for an ailing nation, still recovering from the perils of the Great Depression, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created his works program, dedicated the Hoover Dam, and created Social Security. Clearly, there was much to celebrate in 1935, especially for Ignatious and Julia (Nakielski) Pruski. On February 12, 1935, they celebrated the birth of a baby girl, a daughter they named Arlene. The Pruski's had another daughter, Loretta. The sisters lost their parents in their young adulthood. Soon, however, Arlene had another family to call her own, when Arlene met a man named Paul Witek, who was a soldier serving as a cook in the U.S. Army. They were married, and the young couple moved to Georgia, where they were blessed with their first child, son Paul, in 1962. Arlene became a homemaker, caring for her soon-to-be-growing family. In 1966, she and Paul welcomed their second child, daughter Alysia. The family of four then packed up and left Georgia, and after a brief stint in Colorado, headed north to Muskegon Heights, Michigan, where Arlene's husband went to work for Misco/Howmet. Arlene was so full of energy and was driven to do more with her life so she took classes to fulfill her life's goal of becoming a Deputy Sheriff. Arlene loved the job, and though she worked mainly in the jailhouse, she always volunteered for the more adventurous duties such as going on raids! She worked as a Deputy for a number of years. When she wasn't working, Arlene led a fun-loving life, enjoying shopping in Grand Rapids, going to races, or taking her kids to the beach. Sadly, Arlene suffered a massive stroke in 1975, which affected her ability to walk and partially paralyzed her left side. Her difficult rehabilitation made Arlene angry at first, as she dealt with her disability, followed by a period of sadness. With her family unable to care for her at home, Arlene went to live at DeBoer Nursing Home, where she resided for the next 30 years. Arlene was raised a Roman Catholic, and after her stroke, she relied on and was comforted by her faith more than ever, becoming very devout and finding peace with her situation. Eventually, that inner peace helped Arlene feel that the nursing home was her true home, and she embraced the many, many friends she made there over the years. Arlene became very active at the nursing home, and made friends with all the residents and their families. She had such a vivacious personality, and always had a smile and a pleasant comment to make to everyone, making fast friends with everyone she encountered. When her own family came to visit her, they could never find her in her room! Arlene also volunteered through the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP). She happily crocheted things for them, and volunteered to read to students in the schools. Her incredible spirit of volunteerism was even celebrated in a feature story in the Muskegon Chronicle. Arlene stayed in close contact with her children and her son, Paul, would bring her to his home for family birthday celebrations. Her daughter Alysia lived too far away to bring her to her home, but would always videotape her family's events and trips to share with her mother later. Arlene dearly loved her grandkids, and one great-grandson, and seeing them always was such a highlight for her. In the late 1980s, Arlene broke her hip, and then rejected the implant, opting to live without a hip the rest of her life. Although this slowed her down further, it didn't stop her from staying active at the nursing home, volunteering, or participating in outings. In the spring of 2006, she moved to McAuley Place Nursing home, which she loved dearly, especially thanks to the two resident cats that she loved to cuddle with! Arlene also stayed very informed, dutifully reading the newspaper each day, and regularly wrote letters to the editor. To her credit, Arlene had over a dozen letters published. Her topics usually centered on the needs of the disabled, or the importance of volunteering, or the essentialness of faith, a recurring theme in all that she did. In one such letter, Arlene wrote of her love for Jesus Christ, and the strength she found from her faith in the Lord: "... I also found Jesus," she wrote. "He's my husband now, my love. I live for him. When I hurt, he says I'm carrying my cross. It's a lot less painful than when Jesus was carrying his cross. He is so good to everyone, especially me ... (when it comes to prayer) you have to continually pray every day until you get an answer. But you have to accept what Jesus gives you." Arlene accepted what Jesus gave her; she bore her cross willingly and without fail. She was a devoted and loving mother and grandmother, and a friend to so many over the years. Most of all, Arlene was a woman of great faith, who taught us to have faith in ourselves, in each other, and in the Lord. She will be greatly missed. Arlene A. Witek, age 71, died Thursday, September 21, 2006. She was born in Milwaukee, WI on February 12, 1935 to Ignatious & Julia (Nakielski) Pruski. Arlene had been employed as a Deputy Sheriff for the Muskegon County Sheriff Dept for 5 years until retiring in 1974. Despite years of living in a nursing home, she found many ways to share her life with others through volunteering, crafts, and her warm personality. She was a devout Roman Catholic and faithfully attended services at the nursing home. She is survived by her son, Paul (Sherry) Witek of Whitehall; daughter, Alysia (Dale) Kent of Holland; 5 grandchildren, Jade (Chris) Rederstorf of Okinawa, Japan, Adrian, Alex & Julia Witek, all of Whitehall, Andrew McAvoy of Holland; 1 great granchild, Darren Rederstorf; sister, Loretta Wolf of Milwaukee, WI. She was preceded in death by her parents, and by brother, Norbert Pruski. Services will be held on Thursday, September 28, 2006, 1:00 PM at the Clock Chapel, with visitation on Thursday, one hour prior to the service. The family has requested that memorials be given in Arlene's honor to McAuley Place. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.
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