Judith Rozek Obituary

Judith Rozek
Born: May 20, 1934 in Winona, MN
Died: January 21, 2026 in Barrington, IL
Judith Margaret Rozek passed away January 21, 2026 at JourneyCare Hospice in Barrington. She was born May 20, 1934, to Theodore and Margaret Kryzer (Edd) in Winona, Minnesota. After high school, Judy completed a diploma program in nursing at St. Francis School of Nursing in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. She began her career as a registered nurse in 1955 in Milwaukee at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. During this time, she reconnected with Leonard Rozek, a friend of her brother, who was attending Marquette University. The two began dating and married on January 28, 1956, in Winona. While living in Milwaukee, they had their four oldest children, Leonard, Daniel, Paul, and Margaret. Her husband Leonard completed bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at Marquette University, and the family then moved to the Chicago area. After living in Niles for five years, they settled in Deerfield, where their youngest child, Mary Beth, was born. While Len and Judy raised their family, Judy continued to work as a registered nurse in settings that included hospital, nursing home, private duty home care, occupational health, and finally school nursing. Judy worked for many years as a school nurse for the Northbrook school district, retiring in the early 1990's. She and Len moved to Oakwood Hills, Il in 1998, where she became active in the community. She volunteered at her church participating in its Religious Education program and its Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) program. She was also a regular volunteer at The Sparrow's Nest Thrift Store in Cary, where she continued to work until her final illness in 2025. Judy loved sewing, reading, and caring for babies and young children, beginning with her youngest siblings and continuing with her children and later her grandchildren. She enjoyed hosting family events and holiday meals and was happiest when she was around her children and grandchildren.
Judy is survived by her children, Leonard (Kim), Daniel (Jane), Paul (Jill), Margaret Sedlacek and Mary Beth (Brad) Olm; her grandchildren Megan Navarro, Ellen and Anne Rozek, Logan Rozek, Laura and Eric Sedlacek, and Kevin and Sean Olm; sisters Patricia Steigerwald and Carolyn Armstrong, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Leonard in 2019, her father in 1992 and her mother in 1997, her brother Theodore Kryzer, her sisters Marjorie Carlson, Kathleen Kryzer, and Rosemary Stone, and sister-in-law Carol Mallinger. There will be a visitation for Judy on April 10, 2026, at 9:30 am at SS. Peter & Paul Church, 410 First St. Cary, followed by a funeral mass.