Carl J. Pawelski

Carl Pawelski, 93, of Stevens Point died peacefully December 28, 2017 at Wellington Place in Stevens Point. Carl was born July 2, 1924 in the Town of Dewey, one of six children of the late Frank and Lillian (Jazdzewski) Pawelski.

On October 2, 1948, Carl married his sweetheart, Elizabeth Rucinski at St. Casimir's Catholic Church in the Town of Hull, Stevens Point.  Elizabeth died on Dec. 31, 2014.

Carl and Elizabeth had two daughters, Bonita "Bonnie" (Bill) Maher and Kathleen "Sunnie" (Jeff) Mercier, three grandchildren, Darcy (Maher) (Jason) Bunn, Danielle (Sam) Maher-Baron, Chad (Nicole) Mertes and ten great grandchildren, Carleen, Corey, Christian, and Chase Baron, John Paul, Mary Gabriel, Regina Caeli and Michael Christopher Bunn, Ellie and Ethan Mertes. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Veronica (Lawrence) Halminiak and Pearl (Richard) Ostrowski, brothers Henry and Sylvester (El Jane). He is survived by one sister Cecelia (Gilbert) Drewek).

Carl taught his children kindness and love through the example he set in his own life. Carl had a generosity, gentleness and quiet sense of humor about him that drew people to him. He had a great love for children, animals, and birds. He loved music and played the harmonica with his favorite song being "You Are My Sunshine." Carl loved working with his hands. It seemed there was nothing he couldn't build, repair, craft, or grow. He especially liked working with wood. He not only built his own home, but did carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work for his family and in-laws. Carl was a terrific puzzler. He loved to put puzzles together, glue them and then give them away to anyone who expressed a liking for a particular picture. He loved to do craft projects and play cards. When the Christmas tree came down and winter set in, the kitchen table either became cluttered with craft projects or got cleared to make way for a card game with relatives. Carl along with his wife Elizabeth, enjoyed displaying their crafts and volunteering at the Lincoln Center Holly Shoppe.

Carl was a member of American Legion Post 6. Carl enlisted in the Army in 1946 and was stationed at the 52nd field artillery medical battalion in Fort Bragg, North Carolina followed by service as an ambulance driver in occupied Japan.

In his earlier years, Carl worked as a hired hand for farmers in Iola and Marathon County. He also worked for a short time for the railroad repairing bridges. He then worked for 19 years at Preway in Wisconsin Rapids. Carl eventually retired after an equally long career at Sentry Insurance in Stevens Point.

A visitation with a rosary prayer at 9:30 AM will be held on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM in the St. Faustina Room at St. Peters Catholic Church, 800 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point. Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 AM with Rev. Arul Joseph V. officiating. Following Mass there will be a presentation by the Honor Guard and burial in Guardian Angel Cemetery. Pisarski Funeral Home is honored to be serving the family.

For online condolences please visit www.pisarskifuneralhome.com .

A heartfelt thank you to all Dad's caregivers, friends and relatives who showed their love and support. A special thank you to the wonderful staff at Wellington Place for the excellent care shown our father, as well as the compassion and friendship they've shown our entire family