Shirley Slomski

Nannie I will miss you so much. I think about you every day and am happy you finally get to be with Peetah.

My what a family she had. I recall numerous times in her kitchen as I waited for my buddy Pat and I would have a conversation with Mrs. Slomski. She was a great gal. Say hi to Pat upstairs when you see him.. Dan Talbot

My Mom was a Bear! by Barbara Renoux daughter of Shirley Slomski My mom was a bear! A mamma bear who loved her 10 cubs more than life itself. Bears have a strong protective instinct, especially mamma bears. My mom would go claw to claw with anyone who came between her and her cubs…if they were in the wrong. She was known to go up against principals, rigid and uncompromising school nuns, and invasive neighbors. She got her point across! However, that didn’t always leave us off the hook. Mom was not above batting us around when we were wrong! Bears have an excellent sense of smell and hearing as well as good vision. Mom had an uncanny ability to hear us quietly trying to sneak into the house late at night well past our curfew. A squeak of the steps and you would instantly hear, “Do you know what time it is?” Oh oh, busted! Bears have amazing memories, and mom shared this same characteristic. She knew every Packer player’s strength and weakness, plays and injuries. She knew when they played and who they played. Mom could also remember the birthdates of all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She never forgot to send them a card with a few dollars tucked inside. Bears are territorial, but they do travel long distances. Wisconsin was mom's territory, but she did travel everywhere I livedincluding Alaska, Washington state and Arizona. When I was teaching on the North Slope of Alaska in a tiny Eskimo village, she wanted to visit us. She flew into Barrow and then hopped on a tiny 4-seater plane with lots of duct tape—not to hold the plane together but to prevent the cold air from coming into the plane. I remember her interacting with my students. She was wearing a necklace [probably a thrift store treasure] and one small student pointed to the necklace and said, “That’s a mighty fine jewel you have there. ” He was impressed with her necklace, but I was impressed with mom’s ability to connect with kids…all kids including those at Sunday school, the ones she babysat for and most especially her great-grandkids. Scavaging and foraging are trademarks of bears. They are able to find berries and tender roots in the most unlikely places. Mom was like that, too. Take her to a thrift store and she could find a one-of-a-kind vintage cup or dish, a sweater with the labels still attached, or a treasured jewel in a basket piled with jewelry, all for a fraction of the original cost. Mom would tuck her “finds” into her cart, but sometimes she would hear one of her daughters saying, “Mom, what do you need that for? You have plenty at home! Put it back. ” And sometimes she would growl back, “It’s my money!” And she would make her way to the checkout, treasures in hand. Most bears are solitary and mom was no different. She was the happiest when she was surrounded by her family, especially her 3 girls. Family gatherings made her face light up, though the noise level at a Slomski gathering could cause even a mamma bear togo hibernate for a bit. Like a bear, mom symbolized a wide range of concepts including strength and courage, wisdom and protection. She represented both a fierce and nurturing power which also signifies healing and gentle love. That describes my mamma bear. Mom will now be hibernating beside my dad, my brothers and my husband. Many of us will remember the day she and dad bought their cemetery plot at Riverside. Soon I bought a plot right next to theirs and eventually so did my brother, Michael. That has become our territory…sacred grounds for our bones and ashes. Our true territory is heaven. One day I, too, will be with mamma bear. And until that day comes, I will continue to thank our heavenly Father for giving me so many years with an incredible bear…MY mamma bear! May she rest in peace free of all pain and worry–for eternity in paradise!

Mom , just so you know , the nutcrackers can stay till Christmas😂

Condolences on your loss. She sounds like a wonderful lady. Let the memories live on.