Obituary of Judee Fleszar
Judee Roberta Jewel (Sowders) Fleszar was born May 14, 1925 in Middlesboro, Kentucky, to the late Robert Sowders and Willie Mae (Hurst) Sowders. She and her mother moved to Monroe when she was 4 years old.
Judee was a graduate of Monroe High School, where she belonged to various clubs and participated in many sports. She began tap dancing at an early age and performed quite often at the old Family Theatre. After graduation and until the birth of her first child, Judee was a bookkeeper at Kresge in Monroe.
Judee also loved to ice skate on the River Raisin and that is where she would meet her future husband and love of her life, Joseph. She often told the story of how he very much annoyed her in his pursuit of a first date .... but the rest is history. They were married October 25, 1947 at St. Patrick Church in Carleton, Michigan. They would be married 59 years until his death in March of 2006.
She and Joe traveled extensively in the U.S. (including Hawaii where they celebrated their 25th anniversary), Canada, Europe and Greece. One of their favorite places was Las Vegas where they went very often. Later, they would enjoy their winter home in Palmetto, Florida.
Judee loved to eat and cook! She was always trying new restaurants and recipes. She taught all of her children and grandchildren how to make the traditional food, and always ensured every family dinner was complete...down to the desserts! She was an expert at making dinners that were delicious - out of practically nothing!
She loved being outside tending to her flowers and she was also a whiz at sewing. She will long be remembered for her organizational skills! She could also make everything fit into a cupboard and kept it all neat and tidy.
Her grandchildren remember her as the best babysitter ever! She always had the freezer stocked with fudgesicles and special snacks She was always adamant that everyone had their own "separate" birthdays at her house! Coloring eggs for Easter was a huge event each year .... starting with her children and then with the grands.
Judee was always a true fashionista. She loved to shop and when she got older and couldn't get out as much, she started shopping from catalogs. She may not have been able to walk around the stores, but she could sure use the telephone. She also had a vast collection of elephants!
She was a "Night Owl" and loved staying up late to watch the late shows. She would even be found cooking a hamburger at 10:30 pm.. She loved her family and took care of them to the very end ... even being "MOM" to the very last hour of her life, giving each of them a special gift to remember her by.
Judee, age 89, passed away peacefully on October 17, 2014 at her home in Carleton. She had been ill for several months and was under the care of Mercy Memorial Hospice. She leaves to treasure her memory, her three children: Lyn (Art) Richardson of Luna Pier, Joni Brow and Joey (Kathy James) Fleszar of Carleton; three grandchildren: Jessica (Tom) Bacarella of Newport; David W. Dailey II (Merry Hart) of Oscoda and Allison Fleszar of Carleton; and two great grandchildren: Thomas and Mackenzie Eads of Newport.
Arrangements were entrusted to Merkle Funeral Service. A private celebration of her life was held beginning at Merkle's and continuing at Michigan Memorial Park where the reunion of Judee with her Joe was celebrated by her family. Memories and pictures can be shared at www.merklefs.com.