LEONA “LEE” CIALKOWSKI (nee Tomlin), our precious mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend, passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, June 1, 2019.

Lee was born on February 14, 1925 in Chariton, Iowa.  As an infant, Lee moved with her family to Gary, Indiana.  She graduated from Lew Wallace High School in 1943 and moved to Washington, D.C. during WWII to do clerical work for the FBI.  She returned to Gary and worked in Chicago before meeting Harry and marrying him in 1949.  They had six children (twin boys who died at birth), which they raised in Gary.  They then moved to Merrillville in 1979.

Lee moved to Miller’s Senior Living in Portage in 2015 when her health began to decline.  She had many friends at Miller’s, especially Virginia and Evelyn.

Lee was a deeply devout Catholic and was a current member of Nativity of Our Savior Catholic Church.  She had a love of volunteering: she was a Girl Scout Leader, sewed costumes for her daughters’ dance group, and helped out at St. Mark’s School & Church in Glen Park where her children attended. After moving to Merrillville, she did whatever she could at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church.  She cooked for Soup and Salad Dinners, baked for nearly every Bake Sale, helped at church festivals, and sang in the Daily Mass Choir, to name a few until she was 90 years old.  Lee was well known for her sewing abilities and made many of her daughters’ clothes well into their teenage years.  She was also an avid gardener.

Lee is survived by three children: Sarah (late Danny) Proctor, Mary (Bill) Martin, Ruth (Gary) Cochran; daughter-in-law Carol Cilek; 12 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and her loving nieces and nephews, especially her devoted nephew, Steve Wypyczcak.

She is preceeded in death by her husband, Harry: sons Jerry Cilek, infant twins Steven and Anthony; parents Steven and Mary Tomlin; sisters Anna Bretsch, Eva Garson, Betty Wypyczcak; brothers Frank and Jack Tomlin.

Mom was an unpretentious, fun, compassionate woman who was greatly loved and will be missed by all who knew her.

Family and friends may gather at Pruzin Brothers Funeral Service (2700 Willowcreek Rd, Portage) on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 from 4:00-8:00 P.M. with a Rosary at 7:30 P.M.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. DIRECTLY from Nativity of Our Savior Catholic Church (2949 Willowcreek Rd., Portage) with Rev. Kevin McCarthy officiating.  There will be visitation at the church ½ hour prior to Mass.  At rest Calumet Park Cemetery.