Nov. 16, 1920 — May 7, 2015

Olga D. Okonski, 94, of Dowagiac, passed away on Thursday, May 7, 2015, at Miller’s Assisted Living, Dowagiac.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13,  at Clark Chapel and Cremation Services, 405 Center Street, Dowagiac, with Pastor Kel Penny of the First United Methodist Church of Dowagiac. Burial will follow at Mission Hills Memorial Gardens in Niles. Friends may visit with the family Wednesday, May 13 from 1 until 2 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Lakeland Hospice. Those wishing to leave a memory or condolence of Olga online may do so at www.clarkch.com.

Olga was born Nov. 16, 1920, in the Okoboji Lake area in Dickinson County, Iowa to John and Carrie (Thompson) Bane. At the early age of seven, Olga’s mother died and she was left to help her father raise her three brothers and three sisters. She married Sylvester Okonski on Aug. 19, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky. Olga and Sylvester moved back to the Dowagiac area and spent much time at Little Smith Lake renting fishing boats to anglers and renting out vacation cottages by the week. She was a homemaker and enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles and long walks outdoors. Olga spent most of her life as a homemaker but after her husband died she went to work for the Heddon fishing lure company in Dowagiac for five years. She also was a volunteer for Lee Memorial Hospital for many years.

Olga is survived by her son Joel (Linnea) Okonski of Dowagiac; by three grandchildren, Mellissa Stull of Dowagiac, Jill (Greg) Nusbaum of Elkhart and Jennifer Okonski Wise of Dowagiac. She also leaves behind five great-grandchildren; Gabrielle StCin, Oran StCin, Jordan Nusbaum, Sean Wise and Bethany Wise. Olga was preceded in death by her parents, husband Sylvester, a son John and her brothers Harold, Russell and John Bane and her sisters Shirley Champlain, Vera and Wilma.