Barbara Jean
Gureski
Barbara J. Gureski went home to the Lord on July 25, 2020 at the age of 64. She was born on June 3, 1956, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Eugene and Sally (nee Woznicki) Gureski. A 1974 graduate of Greenfield High School, she loved food, music, mystery books/movies and spending time with family; especially her grandchildren. Preceded in death by her Mother, Sally Gureski, she is survived by Two Sons: Richard (Christina) Gureski and Russell Schill; Six Grandchildren: Abigail, Richie, Peter, Christopher, Andy Gureski and Ericka Schill; Father: Eugene Gureski; Sisters: Patricia Greenthal, Mary (Todd) Minton, and Arlene (Steven) DeBrozzo; Brothers: Eugene Jr. (Jill), Mark and Joseph Gureski; Nephews: Jason and Joe (Jessica) Gureski, T.J. Greenthal and Michael Minton; and numerous beloved relatives and friends.
A Visitation will take place at St. James Catholic Church in Mukwonago, WI on Thursday August 6, 2020 from 11AM-1PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1PM. Burial Ceremony will be held on Saturday August 8, 2020 at 11 A.M. in the Parish Cemetery at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pickerel, Wisconsin.
The family would like to offer a special thanks to the staff at Lake Country Health Services for their care, compassion and dedication.
We fought like cats and dogs, that is what sisters do. She was stubborn, and could dig her heals in, no matter what, right or wrong. One time, we were canoeing on Crystal Lake, and she just wouldn’t listen, so of course, the canoe overturned. I had taken my shoes off minutes before, and guess what, they floated down the river. I was so mad, because they were my best pair of shoes and now they were gone. It was the 70’s, and they were earth shoes after all (you had to be there to understand the meaning of earth shoes.) At that point, she folded her arms across her chest, and said she wasn’t going to row any more. So, I did the same (we are cut from the same cloth after all). Here we are, floating down the river with both of our arms crossed and me shoeless. I’m sure to passer-byers, we looked strange. I have no idea how long we floated like that, seemed like hours; but, was probably 20 minutes. We then came around a bend and low and behold there were my shoes!!! Floating, as if they were waiting for us to get over ourselves and be claimed. I couldn’t believe it, I jumped out of the canoe so fast, we almost overturned again. We then caught up with the rest of our group, and things like always just melted back into their normal routine. Until, the next time!
She was the older sister, daring, not afraid to try anything. She could shimmy up the pole of the bird house, beating all the boys, she was that quick. Like the time when we were way little and Dad left the paint cans behind the shed and she and our cousins decided it would be fun to paint the shed. Here I stood, me too, me too, I cried, let me try. No, she would comment, you’re too little. Then, suddenly, they all handed me their brushes and I thought, Yeah I get to try; and picked up the brush, then turned and there is Dad standing over me madder than (you know what) and I look around and realized I’m standing there with the paint brush in my hand, looking all guilty as could be, alone! She was quick! Who you going to believe, after all, the daughter with the brush in their hand looking guilty, or the one not around.
It took a lifetime to create the stories that accumulate with someone who is passionate about life! She will be missed.
P.S. Ask me about the black eye she blamed on me, saying I rolled over in bed and hit her! Yeah Right! Not that she never sneaked out of the house! Or, about the time, we put our swimsuits on and sneaked out in the summer rain to jump in the mud puddles, or Mad Dog 2020, or …
Barb loved her food! When she developed hives, she went to the doctor, who tested her for allergies. Turns out absolutely everything she loved she was allergic to (Shrimp, seafood); but, the one food she completely detested was peas! She would spend 15 minutes picking every one of them from Sally’s tuna casserole before eating it. Guess what, turned out the one food she could eat and wasn’t allergic to was…..you got it – Peas! Life is ironic. I took her out to eat for her Birthday one year. We went to Hoolihans on Moorland Road in Brookfield Square. Mary, you were there and will remember this. It was decorated in a mismatched style, which was all the trend in the 70s! So we got the table by the window with the big cushy chairs. The ones, when you sat in them, you sank way down, and then felt as if you chin was setting on the top of the table. I made the mistake of telling her she could order whatever she wanted. Big Mistake! Didn’t take her long to decide either. She ordered the Steak, Shrimp (not Steak & Shrimp, but 2 separate meals), plus the stuffed baked potato (which was also a meal in itself, we are not talking small, but huge Russet potato with cheese, bacon, etc-piled high) along with one other menu item, which I don’t recall. Understand, any one of the items she ordered would have been a meal for 1 person. It took 2 waitresses to bring all of her food (just her food) to the table. I remember this well; because Mary ordered the house salad, which was meant to be shared by a party of four; but, no one mentioned that to us. If you can picture us sunk down in our chairs, chins almost touching the top of the table and Mary can’t even see over the top of her salad bowl, and four meals set in front of Barb. Sitting in front of the window right in front of the restaurant. You know, the one that everyone walks by to come into the restaurant. We laughed; because we knew it looked ridicules. I had the fish, and watching Barb eat, I got full and couldn’t even finish. I think the waitresses had a bet Barb was going to be taking home a lot of leftover food; boy were they surprised when they came back to the table with the take home containers. They even let it slip they didn’t think she was going to be able to eat a part of it, let alone all of it. Yes, she ate all of it! But, it’s not done yet. After I paid the bill and we got in the car to go home; and, were pulling out of the parking lot, she saw a McDonalds across the street, and wanted to know if we could stop and get a burger! I did say no! We all thought she would marry a grocer; but, then realized, she would eat up all the profits! You’d never know this by looking at her. Like they say, you can’t judge a book by its cover! She loved her food!