Albertina Uhrich

Albertina “Tina” Uhrich was born March 16, 1919 in a small farmhouse in Antonino, KS. She was the second child of Alexander Leiker and Agnes Klaus. The rest of the family included Irene, Wilfred, Virginia, Bernita, Victorinus, Rubina, Walter and Pauline.

Her mother died shortly after her 11th birthday. She was allowed to finish the 8th grade, but the loss of her mom and the Great Depression forced her to leave home at age 15. Needing to support herself at such a young age, she had to grow up quickly. She saved her money and attended beauty school in Wichita, KS. There she had a group of friends who often met and socialized in a local park. It was there that she met the love of her life, Joe Uhrich.

They married on October 13, 1941 in Collyer KS and lived most of their lives together in Wichita. There they felt blessed to raise a family of six children: Marcia, Rob, Bill, Mindy, Brad and Milissa.

Albertina was a marvelous wife, mother and homemaker. She was an accomplished seamstress and won fashion awards for some of her designs. As the children reached college age, she learned to make custom draperies and started her own business, Tina’s Draperies.

After she and Joe retired, they discovered a love of travel and eventually settled in Mesa, AZ. She learned oil painting, wood carving, upholstery, genealogy, and even wrote a book about her life. Eventually, Joe began to show signs of Alzheimer’s, so they moved to Dallas, TX in 2002 to be closer to family. They were among the first residents at Saint Joseph Retirement Village and made great friends there, just as they had in Mesa.

Albertina was devastated when she lost Joe in 2007 after 65 joyous years of marriage. With the help of her children, she endured. She enjoyed the next 11 years in relatively good health, but in the spring of 2018 she suffered a stroke from which she never fully recovered. With her daughters, Marcia and Mindy, by her side Albertina passed away September 2, 2018 at 99 years of age. She joined Joe in heaven and is in the presence of her Lord and God.

May she rest in peace.