Pamela B. Janiga, 61, Artist
Brookfield resident Pamela B. Janiga (nee Burdsall), 61, died May 24, 2010.
She was born in Cincinnati on Oct. 14, 1948 to Theodore F. and Doris (nee David) Burdsall. An artist, she was married to Philip Alan Janiga, who survives his wife.
She is also survived by her sons, Brett A. Janiga and Mark P. Janiga; and her siblings, Jeffrey (Donna) Burdsall, Cheryl (Jim) Gaston, Ted Burdsall II and Amy (Atreyu) Rhoades.
A funeral service, officiated by the Rev. Mark Jargstorf, was held May 29 at Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, followed by interment at Parkholm Cemetery in LaGrange Park.
Bernard L. LeGros, 87, Retired security officer
Former Brookfield resident Bernard L. LeGros, 87, died May 29, 2010 at The Park at Olympia Fields.
A resident of Brookfield from 1964 to 1986, Mr. LeGros served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later worked as a security officer at Argonne National Laboratory for 35 years. He retired in 1985. He was a member of the Lincoln Land Pistol League and the Tri-County Pistol League. He also enjoyed golfing and was an avid Chicago Bears fan.
Mr. LeGros is survived by his wife, Kathleen (nee Reimus), whom he married on May 11, 1946 at St. Barbara Church in Brookfield. He is also survived by his children, Patricia (Richard) Adamski, Jean (Marc) Adduci and Michael (Elizabeth) LeGros; seven grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and his brother, LeRoy (Marie) LeGros.
Visitation will be Wednesday, June 2 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Home, 3845-47 Prairie Ave. in Brookfield. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, June 3 at 10 a.m. at St. Barbara Church, 4008 Prairie Ave. in Brookfield, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Memorial contributions are appreciated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the National Kidney Foundation.
Marian Noland, 82, Homemaker
Marian Noland (nee Schweitzer), 82, a resident of Janesville, Wis., and a former resident of Brookfield, died May 28, 2010 at the Golden Living Center in Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Born on July 31, 1927 in Berwyn to Edward and Tillie (nee Wilson) Schweitzer, she is survived by her daughters, Barbara (Terry) Emard and Beverly (Peter) Hoefer, and two grandchildren.
Visitation will be on Saturday, June 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St. in Brookfield. Interment is private.
Frank S. Sisulak, 101, Office manager at Graybar Electric
Frank Sisulak had beaten back so many serious health problems in recent years, it came as a shock on May 26, 2009, that he had actually died at the age of 101.
Ten years ago, he battled bladder and prostate cancer. And as late as last December won a bout against the H1N1 flu that nearly did him in, according to his son, Tom, who has lived with and cared for his father for the past decade.
But Mr. Sisulak has never been one to give in. At the time of his death, the man who would have turned 102 on July 26, was training with Tom, a former high school track and field coach, to set records in the 100-over age group in discus, javelin and shot put.
As a young man, Mr. Sisulak and his brothers were outstanding athletes. In 1929, the Chicago YMCA named Mr. Sisulak “No. 1 Athlete in Chicago.” That trophy, given to him personally by Knute Rockne, was displayed proudly on the mantle of his living room fireplace.
According to a letter sent just before Christmas 2009, Tom Sisulak explained the training regimen before Frank was laid low by the flu.
“He was doing quite well with lifting the lighter weights and with his walking workouts at the various indoor tracks we train at in the Chicago area,” Tom Sisulak wrote. “This past July, all three of his throws were doing quite well. He is only a short distance behind the world record holder in discus and javelin, Takashi, who is from Japan, and the shot put world record holder, McBurney, from the U.S.A.
“He critiques each of his own throws and always comments, ‘I can do much better than that. Give me that javelin, again!'”
Mr. Sisulak was born in Milwaukee on July 26, 1908, to Michael and Katherina Sisulak. He grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago and attended Harrison High School for two years until he dropped out in 1925 at age 15 to work for a division of Western Electric. A year later, the company was renamed Graybar Electric. In all, Mr. Sisulak would work for the company for 43 years, retiring as the company’s office manager.
In July 1942, at the age of 34, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent two years as a supply sergeant attached to the 57th Station Hospital in Tunisia in North Africa. A month after coming home in November 1945, Mr. Sisulak married Amy Ruth Heltzel at her parents’ home in Akron, Ind.
The couple moved to their Herrick Road home in Riverside in 1947, remaining there until their deaths. Amy Sisulak preceded her husband in death.
Mr. Sisulak was also preceded in death by his brothers, Michael, Stephen and Wenzel “Jim” Sisulak, and his son, Stuart Sisulak.
He is survived by his sons, Thomas Sisulak and Randall (Mary) Sisulak; his grandchildren, John (Lisa), Jennifer, Rachael (Michael), Erich (Kelly) and Christopher; and his great grandchildren, Morgan Rae and Treith Michael.
Visitation will be Sunday, June 6 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St. in Riverside. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 7 at Riverside United Methodist Church, 80 Woodside Road. Interment will be at Akron IOOF Cemetery in Akron, Ind.
