Maria Louise Kwapisz

At a 50th high school reunion in Michigan, ladies I had not seen since 1960 asked about Mom, talking about their memories of her; as their Girl Scout leader, introducing them to pizza, her coffee table books, pictures on our walls from the “picture lending library” and how pretty she was. I was amazed she had made such a lasting impression on them. Naturally I called home that night and told Mom. She was surprised and flattered they remembered her.

From an early age there was always music in our home, radio or stereo and we learned to enjoy all kinds of music, from classical to pop. She was also an avid reader and instilled in the three of us a lifetime love of reading. Mom was an adventurous cook which wasn’t always appreciated when we were young and not too prone to try out new dishes but later as adults we were grateful for the wonderful recipes she shared with us. Many of these recipes are still used today. I’d have to call Mom the social director of the family and no matter where they lived, she always became involved in cultural and social pursuits. Mom and Dad flourished in Atlanta enjoying the symphony, joining the High Museum and the Botanical Gardens, attending art gallery open houses and trying out new restaurants. Even Atlanta traffic could not deter them from a drive to a new one. I always thought of them as “have car will travel”.

From Michigan to Pittsburgh Cleveland and Atlanta Mom created loving, lively homes making lifetime friends along the way. Mom and Dad loved to travel and made many a trip to Ca. to see us in the Bay Area which had so much to offer. A favorite of course was going to wine country, Napa and Sonoma and many a day was spent wine tasting. This led to their daily ritual of enjoying a glass or two of wine about 4:00. Always open to new adventures Mom arranged trips to Europe, sometimes renting a house for a couple of weeks to thoroughly enjoy an area. Christmas in Mexico became a holiday tradition for our family. Over the years we had numerous vacations with them because they were fun and easy to travel with.

My Mom influenced my life so much, it’s hard to believe that vibrant, energetic woman is gone. I like to think of a time in Oct. 2010 when Mom and I had gone to the Oakland Cemetery for their
annual tour and concluded it with a drink at a rooftop restaurant/bar. She smiled and said “life is good”. That was my Mom whom I will miss and love forever.
– Kathy Kwapisz Russell (Daughter)
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In life, I loved you dearly.
In death, I love you still.
In my heart Mom you hold a special place no one else will ever fill.
Mom, I am forever grateful for the way you raised me.
You were my guiding force from my young and dumb early days to
my wise old 60’s.
You were always with me, beside me and encouraging me and always
standing up for me no matter what I did.
From my young days in elementary school, I was incorrigible.
I remember the Nun’s at school wanting to call Dad not you to reprimand me,
you knew I could do no wrong in your eyes.
I remember the little Beatles haircut you gave me.
My embroidered bell bottom jeans, my Neru jacket and the blue suede shoes.
I was one stylish little dude because of you.
Going into high school and college and still being an incorrigible young man now you
still stood up for me always.
I remember coming home from school and you always having a snack for me,
a HoHo or my favorite, the Hostess Cupcakes ready for me and a glass of milk.
Throughout my life I learned to love wonderful foods from you. You were always
preparing wonderful dinners for the family, Perogies, your homemade flour tacos with
the “toothpicks” to hold them together when in your favorite frying pan!! Yum!
Golabki, which unfortunately I never acquired a taste for, but the rest of the family loved!
Kielbasa, Chrusciki, your “refrigerator cookies”.
All the wonderful family dinners around the dining room table, your prime rib roasts
and roast turkey were superb. The table was always flawless.
I learned to love classical music from you. All your years having season tickets to the
Atlanta and Cleveland Symphony Orchestras. I am so grateful for all the vacations we all
went on as a family, especially Mexico!! I’ll never forget these trips and I know you had a
wonderful time on your many, many travels around the world with Dad
Joyce, Ashley, and I will miss you and love you forever. I am so happy you had all the
time you had to spend with Ashley and get to know your granddaughter and Joyce.
Now you have traveled your final journey and probably having a glass of wine right now,
some Pate and a fine loaf of crusty French Bread.
Heaven has gained an angel!
Mom, I hope I grew into a man you could be proud of!

In life I loved you.
In death, I still love you and always will.
I love you Mom.
– William Kwapisz (Son)
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Granny,
Some of my favorite memories of my younger years were spending time with you, mom and the family. It was always a privilege to get to see you and Grandpa since I spent most of my vacations with my father. It made the time I did get to see you that much sweeter.

As I grew up, I had fun exploring the Winton building in Cleveland, playing some great card games such as Casino with you, visiting family and friends, going to historical sites like the Cyclorama in Atlanta… You even took me to the auction house of the show I liked so I could see the place in person and meet the people. You also shared with me the joy of Coca-Cola and 50 different types of Coke from countries all over the world when you took me to the Coke factory for the first time. I remember when you would visit family in Michigan, you would come pick me up at my dad’s and we would go to some of my favorite restaurants like Taco Bell or Coney Island on the way to visit Great Grandma and Uncle Andy, or just to go see a movie. One of my favorite memories, and one I will never forget, was when I came to visit for Christmas and it snowed during Christmas dinner leading to everyone having a snowball fight after dinner complete with Grandma in her mink coat. You helped make the simple things wonderful!

Lauren, the kids and I will forever miss your calls, visiting you and seeing you at all our family events. You have been an inspiration for the entire family and we hope we continue to make you proud of our family.
– Christopher Cope (Grandson)

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A funeral mass will be held on Friday February 3rd, 2023 at 10:30am at St. Andrew Catholic Church located at 675 Riverside Road in Roswell, Georgia. A reception at the Church will follow the Mass. Private family interment will be at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alpharetta Humane Society located at 1655 Mansell Rd. Alpharetta, GA 30009 or the Atlanta Humane Society located at 1551 Perry Blvd. NW Atlanta, GA, 30318.