Victoria Stawicki

(nee Pruszynski) reluctantly left this world on August 11, 2023, at age 95 due to complications from a stroke. While in her last years she lamented losing nearly all of her friends and relatives, she never wanted to join them-life was just too interesting.

A child of the Great Depression, Victoria grew up on Milwaukee's south side in the shadow of St. Cyril's. Her parents, Edward and Eugenia, who spoke no English, emigrated from Poland in the early 1900s. They preceded her in death as well as her two older brothers Edwin and Joseph. She always said she lived a sheltered childhood.

Victoria graduated from Pulaski High School, and several years later, met her future husband Anthony (Tony), at a dance. They married in 1951 while he was on leave serving in the Korean War near the front lines. He wrote her love letters nearly every day for two years. After the war, Tony worked at Evinrude and together they raised three children on an assembly line worker's pay. Victoria insisted that her children meet high standards. One of her nicknames was "the prosecutor" for her ability to question her children in such detail, that trying to argue out of having done wrong was futile.

Victoria and Tony enjoyed entertaining friends in their basement rec room in West Allis with Tony behind the bar mixing Manhattans and dance bands such as Eddy Howard on the HiFi. They dressed up nearly every Saturday night-Tony in a suit and Victoria, slim and feminine, in her favorite ankle strap high heels. They sampled fine restaurants and danced afterwards at Doc Perko's or the Melody Bar. Their last dance was to Harry James and his Orchestra.

At age 54, Victoria lost Tony to cancer, and not having worked outside the home for three decades, enrolled in office classes to learn proofreading and reception work. For nearly 20 more years, she held jobs at Marquette University's library, where she enjoyed meeting students from all over the world, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and at the VA.

In her 70s and through her 80s, Victoria practiced yoga, tai chi, Zumba, and attended lectures. She travelled internationally to visit her son living in the Netherlands and made frequent visits to her daughter in the Twin Cities to try new restaurants. Always up for new experiences, she flew in a glider (wearing a dress) as part of a Mother's Day present. She enjoyed music and attended concerts ranging from Marcia Ball to Jimmy Sturr to Wynton Marsalis to Mollie B to B.B. King.

The Stawickis enjoy their beloved GM cars and Victoria was no different. Her last and favorite car was a 2014 crystal red Buick Regal GS, complete with a performance package. As she said, "Good pick up on a car is a safety feature." She found the car on her own after teaching herself about the Internet.

At age 91, she suffered a severe stroke that did not affect her curious mind but paralyzed her right side. Nonetheless, she was determined to improve and did so with the help of her physical therapist and champion, Mark. Her innate workout ethic was one professional athletes would envy.

She is survived by her three children, Joseph (West Allis), James (Milwaukee), and Elizabeth (St. Paul, MN).

Visitation is Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 9:30AM to 11:00AM at Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home, 3275 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, followed by Mass of Christian Burial at the Basilica of St. Josephat, 2333 S. 6th St., Milwaukee. Interment will take place at Wood National Cemetery.