Aleksandra Jasinski, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cherished friend of many, died on March 15, two months shy of her 92nd birthday. Ala, as she was known to everyone, one could say, lived a full and happy life. Much of it was, indeed, fulfilling, but too much of it was steeped in sadness, war, and illness.
Through it all, she demonstrated great courage and strength of will. These are the most precious gifts she leaves to her children, George and Anna, her four grandchildren, and her three great-grandchildren.
Ala’s idyllic childhood in Poland was abruptly stolen from her when she was just 12, when Nazi Germany invaded in 1939. Forced to leave their home, the family began their long odyssey as displaced persons. When Ala was 14, the Nazis sentenced her to a concentration camp, Stutthof, where she spent nearly three years. Having survived that horror, she was force-marched with fellow surviving prisoners to a factory in Germany as slave labor. She and fellow prisoners were liberated by American forces in 1945.
Several years of nomadic wandering from one refugee camp to another followed. She and her husband, Karol, were finally able to immigrate to Australia, where Anna was born. After seven years living Down Under, the young couple and child came to America seeking a brighter future. But a decade later, at the age of 47, Karol died. Ala was now a young widow with two children. She remarried seven years later. The wonderful new man in her life, Feliks, had known Ala and Karol since the refugee camps, and lived in Canada. They lived in great happiness for over 20 years there, until Feliks’s death in 1998.
Widowed a second time, Ala decided after a few years to move back to the U.S., this time to Omaha, to be near George, his wife Sandra and their children, Peter and Caroline. Here she enjoyed the love of family and many special friendships. She made frequent summer visits to Massachusetts, to spend time with Anna, her husband Stan and their sons Tom and Gregory, and Tom’s wife, Marissa.
Not only was Ala always able to bounce back from adversity, she embraced the good times with equal vigor. Throughout her life, she was known for organizing wonderful parties and gatherings. Ala was an outstanding hostess, cook, dancer, singer and storyteller. In short, she was the life of every party, with a remarkable gift for sharing humor. Ever generous, she gave of her time and effort to both family and friends.
Unfortunately, tragedy visited her one last time, when she suffered a massive stroke ten years ago, on Easter Sunday. Paralyzed ever since, she has been living in Lifecare Center in Elkhorn, where a community of caregivers looked after not only her physical needs, but showed her love, respect and affection. In fact, last year they nominated her as their chosen resident to the greater nationwide community of Lifecare. Apparently, the national organization agreed that Ala was a very special person, and featured her and her life in their national publication, Leader Magazine.
Ala never recovered from this final blow, which claimed her in the end. But she still exhibited the same resolute tenacity for life, even in her challenged state. The newer additions to her family, Gregory’s wife Ada, and Ala’s three great-grandchildren, Tess, Theo and Milo will know about the brave and resilient woman she was.
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