Viola Ozak

Viola Ozak of Traverse City and Cedarville, Michigan, passed away September 2 at the age of 91. Viola was born April 19, 1924, in Decker, Michigan, the daughter of Polish immigrants Anthony and Anna Kaminski. She was one of ten children. Viola moved to Detroit as a teenager and found work at Cadillac Motors as a “Rosie the Riveter.” It was in Detroit at a local dance hall that she met the love of her life, Jacob Jerome Ozak of Goetzville. The couple married on September 9, 1944, and made their home in the beautiful Upper Peninsula town of Cedarville. Their married life was cut short when Jake died of a heart attack on August 30, 1966, at the young age of 50. Vi was left to raise five daughters on her own. She worked hard to support her family, including preparing meals for seniors, as a “domestic engineer” and housekeeper. She also worked for a short time at U.S. Steel. She is survived by her treasured eldest daughter Sharon Daily of Kingston, son-in-law Lee Daily and granddaughter Lisa; her beloved daughter Geraldine Ozak of Grand Rapids, grandsons Anthony and Chris, and great-grandchildren Damien, Darien, Savannah, Demitrius and Zander; her great-granddaughter Desiré preceded her in death. She is survived also by her cherished daughter Marcia Ozak of Traverse City, granddaughter Jennifer, and great-grandchildren Jaxon and Jessa Viola, and her beloved daughter Nancy Ozak of Hudsonville. For thirty years Mrs. Ozak lived with her beloved youngest daughter, Anne Ozak Hogarth, her caregiver and nurse, son-in-law John Hogarth and grandson Alex of Traverse City. She is survived by her younger brother, Harry Kaminski of Kent City, and predeceased by her siblings Zigmund, John, Edward, Adam, Vickie, Sally, Marie and Archie. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren. Mrs. Ozak was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady of the Snows church. She loved flowers, gardening, bird watching, canning and baking. She was well known for her Polish dishes and her pies, especially her blueberry-peach pie. She collected small hand bells and loved to sew. For over thirty years her sewing creations were displayed and sold at annual craft shows, including those at Immaculate Conception church in Traverse City. Her skillfully made items sold quickly. Her potholders and aprons made their way to California, Florida, England, and Australia to name a few. Vi especially loved sewing Raggedy Ann dolls, an art she perfected for over sixty years. She was proud to learn that one of her dolls could be seen on the set of the 1990’s hit comedy show, “Mad About You.” In her later years she continued to enjoy life and stayed busy sewing and baking, with an occasional visit to the casino where she was always lucky on the penny machines. Visitation hours are Friday, September 4, 5-7 p.m., at the R. Galer funeral home in Pickford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held September 5 at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic church in Hessel. Viola Ozak will be interred at Oaklawn Chapel Gardens, north of Pickford, where she will lie next to her beloved husband. She looked forward to being with him again for eternity. The Ozak-Hogarth family would like to thank Hospice of Michigan for assisting with Mrs. Ozak’s care during her final days, allowing her to die with dignity at home. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider a memorial donation in her name to Hospice of Michigan, 10850 E. Traverse Hwy., Suite 155, Traverse City, MI 49684 (or at hom.org/donations/), or simply by planting flowers, lots of them.

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Viola Ozak

April 19, 1924 - September 2, 2015