FROMT THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL:
On Milwaukee's south side, the name Jerry Kleczka became synonymous with two things.
That was because there were two Jerry Kleczkas - Jerome, who became a funeral director and owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes, and brother Gerald, who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress.
"We're called death and taxes," the Kleczka in the funeral business liked to quip.
"He'd say, 'You're taxes, right?' " said his brother, the former congressman, repeating the joke. "He was death."
Jerome J. Kleczka died of natural causes Saturday, after several months of ill health. He was 71.
"My dad had a lung transplant on March 15, 1993," said son Jeff Kleczka. "He waited 13 months for his transplant. He was the longest surviving lung transplant recipient for St. Luke's Medical Center."
It was a final chapter in a life about taking care of people and what they needed.
"He took advantage of it," his brother said. "He did a lot of community activities and took family time."
Kleczka also kept working, living above the funeral home with his wife.
"He would answer the phone for the funeral home in the middle of the night," said Jeff, an owner in the business.
Funeral directors, Kleczka told Milwaukee Sentinel columnist William Janz, should do "whatever is acceptable to families, whatever has meaning to them."
"He enjoyed working with people and he was always a very caring person," Gerald said. "So when it came to dealing with families in their time of grief, my brother was just excellent. A person couldn't ask for a better friend or brother."
Family life began in the Little Suamico area, north of Green Bay, and moved to Milwaukee's south side in the early 1940s. Jerome was the oldest of four children and graduated from the old Don Bosco High School, going on to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a pre-pharmacy student. Then he got the idea of working in the funeral business.
He went to the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science and got his license, first working for the F.J. Borgwardt Funeral Home. In 1965, he took a job with the Prasser Funeral Home, later becoming a partner and then owner.
A devoted Packers fan, Kleczka proposed during a game but not during the action on the field. His intended was a young woman named Marianne Culver.
"He proposed during halftime of the Packers game on Thanksgiving Day 1962," Jeff said. "He called her out of the room and dropped on one knee."
For the record, the Packers didn't beat the Detroit Lions that day, but Kleczka won a wife. The two married in 1963.
"And he was a survivor of the Ice Bowl," Jeff said, referring to the famous frigid game of 1967. "He was one of the people who was really there."
Family members said he would be remembered as a man who did his best, both for family and those who came to his business.
"He was a good example for us," said son Jay Kleczka, also an owner in the family business. "He set an example on how to treat people."
In addition to his sons and brother, survivors include wife Marianne; daughters Deborah Wasilik and Donna Kleczka; and grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. today and continue from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Thursday, both at the Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, at 3275 S. Howell Ave. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Veronica Church, 4001 S. Whitnall Ave.
FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL OBITUARY:
Kleczka, Jerome J. Born to Eternal Life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka and his sisters Mary Ann (the late John) Flagge and Marlene (the late Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends. Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery. Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year. Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers. A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years! If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated. "Love you dad…" PRASSER-KLECZKA BAY VIEW CHAPEL 3275 S. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322 Condolences and directions: www.pkfuneralhomes.com
FROM WWW.PKFUNERALHOMES.COM OBITUARY:
Born to eternal life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka, his sisters Mary Ann (John) Flagge and Marlene (Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends.
Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7th, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8th, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery.
Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year.
Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.
A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years!
If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated.
"Love you dad…"
PRASSER-KLECZKA
BAY VIEW CHAPEL
3275 So. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322
On Milwaukee's south side, the name Jerry Kleczka became synonymous with two things.
That was because there were two Jerry Kleczkas - Jerome, who became a funeral director and owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes, and brother Gerald, who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress.
"We're called death and taxes," the Kleczka in the funeral business liked to quip.
"He'd say, 'You're taxes, right?' " said his brother, the former congressman, repeating the joke. "He was death."
Jerome J. Kleczka died of natural causes Saturday, after several months of ill health. He was 71.
"My dad had a lung transplant on March 15, 1993," said son Jeff Kleczka. "He waited 13 months for his transplant. He was the longest surviving lung transplant recipient for St. Luke's Medical Center."
It was a final chapter in a life about taking care of people and what they needed.
"He took advantage of it," his brother said. "He did a lot of community activities and took family time."
Kleczka also kept working, living above the funeral home with his wife.
"He would answer the phone for the funeral home in the middle of the night," said Jeff, an owner in the business.
Funeral directors, Kleczka told Milwaukee Sentinel columnist William Janz, should do "whatever is acceptable to families, whatever has meaning to them."
"He enjoyed working with people and he was always a very caring person," Gerald said. "So when it came to dealing with families in their time of grief, my brother was just excellent. A person couldn't ask for a better friend or brother."
Family life began in the Little Suamico area, north of Green Bay, and moved to Milwaukee's south side in the early 1940s. Jerome was the oldest of four children and graduated from the old Don Bosco High School, going on to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a pre-pharmacy student. Then he got the idea of working in the funeral business.
He went to the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science and got his license, first working for the F.J. Borgwardt Funeral Home. In 1965, he took a job with the Prasser Funeral Home, later becoming a partner and then owner.
A devoted Packers fan, Kleczka proposed during a game but not during the action on the field. His intended was a young woman named Marianne Culver.
"He proposed during halftime of the Packers game on Thanksgiving Day 1962," Jeff said. "He called her out of the room and dropped on one knee."
For the record, the Packers didn't beat the Detroit Lions that day, but Kleczka won a wife. The two married in 1963.
"And he was a survivor of the Ice Bowl," Jeff said, referring to the famous frigid game of 1967. "He was one of the people who was really there."
Family members said he would be remembered as a man who did his best, both for family and those who came to his business.
"He was a good example for us," said son Jay Kleczka, also an owner in the family business. "He set an example on how to treat people."
In addition to his sons and brother, survivors include wife Marianne; daughters Deborah Wasilik and Donna Kleczka; and grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. today and continue from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Thursday, both at the Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, at 3275 S. Howell Ave. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Veronica Church, 4001 S. Whitnall Ave.
FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL OBITUARY:
Kleczka, Jerome J. Born to Eternal Life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka and his sisters Mary Ann (the late John) Flagge and Marlene (the late Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends. Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery. Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year. Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers. A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years! If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated. "Love you dad…" PRASSER-KLECZKA BAY VIEW CHAPEL 3275 S. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322 Condolences and directions: www.pkfuneralhomes.com
FROM WWW.PKFUNERALHOMES.COM OBITUARY:
Born to eternal life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka, his sisters Mary Ann (John) Flagge and Marlene (Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends.
Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7th, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8th, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery.
Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year.
Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.
A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years!
If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated.
"Love you dad…"
PRASSER-KLECZKA
BAY VIEW CHAPEL
3275 So. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322
FROMT THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL:
On Milwaukee's south side, the name Jerry Kleczka became synonymous with two things.
That was because there were two Jerry Kleczkas - Jerome, who became a funeral director and owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes, and brother Gerald, who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress.
"We're called death and taxes," the Kleczka in the funeral business liked to quip.
"He'd say, 'You're taxes, right?' " said his brother, the former congressman, repeating the joke. "He was death."
Jerome J. Kleczka died of natural causes Saturday, after several months of ill health. He was 71.
"My dad had a lung transplant on March 15, 1993," said son Jeff Kleczka. "He waited 13 months for his transplant. He was the longest surviving lung transplant recipient for St. Luke's Medical Center."
It was a final chapter in a life about taking care of people and what they needed.
"He took advantage of it," his brother said. "He did a lot of community activities and took family time."
Kleczka also kept working, living above the funeral home with his wife.
"He would answer the phone for the funeral home in the middle of the night," said Jeff, an owner in the business.
Funeral directors, Kleczka told Milwaukee Sentinel columnist William Janz, should do "whatever is acceptable to families, whatever has meaning to them."
"He enjoyed working with people and he was always a very caring person," Gerald said. "So when it came to dealing with families in their time of grief, my brother was just excellent. A person couldn't ask for a better friend or brother."
Family life began in the Little Suamico area, north of Green Bay, and moved to Milwaukee's south side in the early 1940s. Jerome was the oldest of four children and graduated from the old Don Bosco High School, going on to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a pre-pharmacy student. Then he got the idea of working in the funeral business.
He went to the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science and got his license, first working for the F.J. Borgwardt Funeral Home. In 1965, he took a job with the Prasser Funeral Home, later becoming a partner and then owner.
A devoted Packers fan, Kleczka proposed during a game but not during the action on the field. His intended was a young woman named Marianne Culver.
"He proposed during halftime of the Packers game on Thanksgiving Day 1962," Jeff said. "He called her out of the room and dropped on one knee."
For the record, the Packers didn't beat the Detroit Lions that day, but Kleczka won a wife. The two married in 1963.
"And he was a survivor of the Ice Bowl," Jeff said, referring to the famous frigid game of 1967. "He was one of the people who was really there."
Family members said he would be remembered as a man who did his best, both for family and those who came to his business.
"He was a good example for us," said son Jay Kleczka, also an owner in the family business. "He set an example on how to treat people."
In addition to his sons and brother, survivors include wife Marianne; daughters Deborah Wasilik and Donna Kleczka; and grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. today and continue from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Thursday, both at the Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, at 3275 S. Howell Ave. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Veronica Church, 4001 S. Whitnall Ave.
FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL OBITUARY:
Kleczka, Jerome J. Born to Eternal Life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka and his sisters Mary Ann (the late John) Flagge and Marlene (the late Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends. Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery. Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year. Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers. A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years! If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated. "Love you dad…" PRASSER-KLECZKA BAY VIEW CHAPEL 3275 S. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322 Condolences and directions: www.pkfuneralhomes.com
FROM WWW.PKFUNERALHOMES.COM OBITUARY:
Born to eternal life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka, his sisters Mary Ann (John) Flagge and Marlene (Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends.
Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7th, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8th, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery.
Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year.
Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.
A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years!
If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated.
"Love you dad…"
PRASSER-KLECZKA
BAY VIEW CHAPEL
3275 So. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322
On Milwaukee's south side, the name Jerry Kleczka became synonymous with two things.
That was because there were two Jerry Kleczkas - Jerome, who became a funeral director and owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes, and brother Gerald, who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress.
"We're called death and taxes," the Kleczka in the funeral business liked to quip.
"He'd say, 'You're taxes, right?' " said his brother, the former congressman, repeating the joke. "He was death."
Jerome J. Kleczka died of natural causes Saturday, after several months of ill health. He was 71.
"My dad had a lung transplant on March 15, 1993," said son Jeff Kleczka. "He waited 13 months for his transplant. He was the longest surviving lung transplant recipient for St. Luke's Medical Center."
It was a final chapter in a life about taking care of people and what they needed.
"He took advantage of it," his brother said. "He did a lot of community activities and took family time."
Kleczka also kept working, living above the funeral home with his wife.
"He would answer the phone for the funeral home in the middle of the night," said Jeff, an owner in the business.
Funeral directors, Kleczka told Milwaukee Sentinel columnist William Janz, should do "whatever is acceptable to families, whatever has meaning to them."
"He enjoyed working with people and he was always a very caring person," Gerald said. "So when it came to dealing with families in their time of grief, my brother was just excellent. A person couldn't ask for a better friend or brother."
Family life began in the Little Suamico area, north of Green Bay, and moved to Milwaukee's south side in the early 1940s. Jerome was the oldest of four children and graduated from the old Don Bosco High School, going on to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a pre-pharmacy student. Then he got the idea of working in the funeral business.
He went to the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science and got his license, first working for the F.J. Borgwardt Funeral Home. In 1965, he took a job with the Prasser Funeral Home, later becoming a partner and then owner.
A devoted Packers fan, Kleczka proposed during a game but not during the action on the field. His intended was a young woman named Marianne Culver.
"He proposed during halftime of the Packers game on Thanksgiving Day 1962," Jeff said. "He called her out of the room and dropped on one knee."
For the record, the Packers didn't beat the Detroit Lions that day, but Kleczka won a wife. The two married in 1963.
"And he was a survivor of the Ice Bowl," Jeff said, referring to the famous frigid game of 1967. "He was one of the people who was really there."
Family members said he would be remembered as a man who did his best, both for family and those who came to his business.
"He was a good example for us," said son Jay Kleczka, also an owner in the family business. "He set an example on how to treat people."
In addition to his sons and brother, survivors include wife Marianne; daughters Deborah Wasilik and Donna Kleczka; and grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. today and continue from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Thursday, both at the Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, at 3275 S. Howell Ave. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Veronica Church, 4001 S. Whitnall Ave.
FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL/SENTINEL OBITUARY:
Kleczka, Jerome J. Born to Eternal Life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka and his sisters Mary Ann (the late John) Flagge and Marlene (the late Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends. Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery. Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year. Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers. A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years! If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated. "Love you dad…" PRASSER-KLECZKA BAY VIEW CHAPEL 3275 S. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322 Condolences and directions: www.pkfuneralhomes.com
FROM WWW.PKFUNERALHOMES.COM OBITUARY:
Born to eternal life on Saturday, January 3, 2009, age 71 years. Loving husband and best friend for 45 years of Marianne (nee Culver). Cherished father of Deborah (Daniel) Wasilik, Jay (Madeline), Donna and Jeffrey (Andrea) Kleczka. Proud grandfather of Michael, Steven and Joey Wasilik; Jacob and Abby Kleczka; Jared, Justin and Kathryn Kleczka. Dearest brother of former U.S. Congressman Gerald (Bonnie) Kleczka. Preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Kleczka, his sisters Mary Ann (John) Flagge and Marlene (Emery) Werra. Fond brother-in-law of Vernon (Mary Ann), Leon (Rachael), Dennis (Janice) and Richard (Kay) Culver. Further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family, co-workers and friends.
Visitation at the Funeral Home Wednesday, January 7th, 3-8 PM and Thursday, 9-10:15 AM. Funeral Thursday, January 8th, 10:15 AM from the Funeral Home to St. Veronica Church for Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery.
Jerry was the very proud owner of Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Homes and was a licensed funeral director since 1959. Member and past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, the Milwaukee-Waukesha County Funeral Directors Association, Inter-Organization Council of Bay View, Milwaukee Lake Lions Club and Bay View Kiwanis Club. Member of St. Veronica's Holy Name and Usher Societies, the National Funeral Directors Association, National Association of Approved Morticians, Southside Business Club and Knights of Columbus Cardinal Stritch Council #4614. He was a recipient of the Milwaukee Lake Lions' Melvin Jones Award and Bay View Man of the Year.
Loyal fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers.
A heartfelt thank you to the many physicians, nurses, aides and therapists of St. Luke's Medical Center who cared for Jerry over the past several months. A special thank you to Dr. Theodore Gronski and Dr. Brian Buggy for their tireless efforts to get Jerry home. Finally, thank you to the Thoracic Transplant Clinic and Pulmonary Rehab for 15 wonderful years!
If desired, memorials to St. Veronica Church, St. Thomas More High School or The Hunger Task Force are very much appreciated.
"Love you dad…"
PRASSER-KLECZKA
BAY VIEW CHAPEL
3275 So. Howell Ave. 414-483-2322
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