Elizabeth Lee Lenski
A funeral mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church in Mount Vernon, Washington, at 12 p.m. on January 6, 2017.
Elizabeth Lee (Zita) Lenski was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 7, 1921. She was the youngest of nine children of Rose Pagano and Vincent Zita. She died in Burlington, Washington, on December 16, 2016.
Lee received her formal education in New York City, graduating in 3 ½ years from Washington Irving Senior High School in Manhattan.
Lee entered the Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn School of Nursing and graduated as a registered professional nurse. Soon thereafter, she entered the Army Nurse Corps during World War II and served for almost 38 months, 18 of which were spent in North Africa and Italy. She was discharged from the Army as a first lieutenant in March 1946.
On October 6, 1945, in LaSalle, Illinois, she married Francis B. Lenski, a fellow serviceman who courted her both overseas and after they both returned home from military duty abroad. Their 33-year-long marriage produced three children.
As Lee cared for and ministered to her growing family, she also continued her education as time permitted. Eventually, she obtained three college degrees: (1) an Associate of Arts, summa cum laude, from LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby (LPO) Junior College; (2) a Bachelor of Science, with high honors, from Illinois State University (ISU); and (3) a Master’s Degree in English Literature, also from ISU.
Lee taught English at Riverdale High School in Port Byron, Illinois, for eight years, during the last two of which she served as Chairperson of the English Department. Previously, she had taught social studies to elementary students. She was also employed as an instructor in the Adult Learning Center at LPO Junior College.
Lee was a religious person of strong faith. She tried to live her life according to the teaching of Saint Benedict—“that we may prefer nothing to the love of Christ.” Lee was a Eucharistic Minister, a member of the Oblates of Saint Benedict at Saint Bede’s Abbey in Peru, Illinois, and engaged in prison ministry. She also cohosted a local Catholic radio program called Listen with the Ear of Your Heart. She attended church regularly until her last years, when she continued to go but less frequently. For the past eight years she was a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Lee is survived by two children, Francis Lee (Susan) and Carmel Lynn (Don), her daughter-in-law (Terry Lenski), six grandchildren—Brian, Kathryn, Emily, Nikolas, Luke, and Bianca—and nieces and nephews to the third degree. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, her son Laurence Joseph (Joe), and three brothers and five sisters.
Lee was very proud of her Italian heritage, a fact to which anyone who knew her well could attest. She was particularly fond of Italian opera and classical music in general. She wrote short stories about her family and their struggles to survive the poverty that enveloped their lives in Brooklyn during the Great Depression; one of her stories was published.
As a result of her family’s struggles during the Great Depression she developed a sense of compassion for those who suffered that she maintained throughout her lifetime. She often returned to Brooklyn to care for her ailing family members and fed starving children in Italy during World War II in contravention of the repeated orders of her commanding officer to desist.
Lee was an independent, forward-looking woman who placed a high value on education and on autonomy for herself and the women of her generation. She possessed a keen intellect and a radiant smile she often flashed. She tried to judge people by the depth of their character and nothing more and taught her children to do the same. Lee strived for perfection in all the important things she did. She was ever loyal to her family and friends, who will dearly miss her.
The family would like to thank the medical staffs and caregivers who helped to sustain and extend her rich, accomplished life.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church in Mount Vernon, Washington, at 12 p.m. on January 6, 2017.
All donations in honor of Lee should be sent directly to St. Bede Abbey, 24 W. U.S. Highway 6, Peru, IL.61354-2903 or online at stbedeabbey.org.
Memories
From Louise Schmidt
Aunt Lee, thank you for being a great friend to me!! I love you and will miss our frequent conversations!!
Love,
Louise (Cookie)
From Gregory Wilhelm
Hi Carmel
Sorry for your loss. You took such good care of your mother. I read the obituary and was very impressed with the life she had live.
Greg Wilhelm
From Peter Eberle O.S.B.
Lee was a lovely person. May she rest i n peace.
From Doug Mose
i was truly lucky to have had Mrs. Lenski as my English teacher at Riverdale High.
it's not an exaggeration to say that she was the best teacher I had in high school for any subject.
those of us who took her Senior English class know how extraordinary she was - we truly loved her.
May she Rest In Peace.
From Jeanne Snook A…
I learned so much from Mrs. Lenski in Senior English at Riverdale High School. She set expectations that were high and I ne we wanted to disappoint her. I still have the note that she wrote on my Scarlet Letter exam tucked away in my lesson plan book. She was a classy lady. I am a better teacher because of her.
Jeanne Snook class of '81
From John Mose
Mrs. Lenski was an amazing teacher and an inspiring woman. In our small school district she went out of her way to challenge, engage and inspire a bunch of kids to explore and understand the wider world. I credit my love of writing and of Literature to her. She was at turns funny, wise, insightful, demanding and caring. I wanted to impress her, and to do good work for her. She was a marvel.
John Mose, Riverdale class of 1981
From Jay French
Of all of the teachers in all the schools I've attended, I can remember Mrs. Lenski's voice most distinctly. I can still hear her in my memory from Senior English at Riverdale High School thirty-odd years ago, not going over grammar, but telling us a story about her life, one we could learn from, about adventure, about love, about loss. She will be missed, and she will be remembered.
From Anonymous
I'm one of her students from Riverdale High in Port Byron, IL. She was one of my favorite teachers! Condolences to her family.
From Chuck Peterson
Mrs. Lenski was truly and inspiration for me as a student at Riverdale High. She was exactly the sort of teacher so many wish to become: brilliant, funny, truly caring and tough as nails. Just now when I considered referring to her as "Lee" instead of "Mrs. Lenski" I could just about feel her grabbing and twisting my ear. Her guidance through 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' was my introduction to the joy of literature, and I am glad that I will never be able to read it without hearing it in her voice. It's a delight to know that she has been commended to God on the feast of the Epiphany, since she was herself a lodestar for many of us. May she rest in peace an arise with the just!
From Mary Cohen
Carmel, Fran and family,
I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful mother.
She was truly a bright light in our world, a gift to all.
Thank you for sharing her remarkable obituary. She was a truly amazing, wonderful human being.
I shall keep the obituary along with other photos, writings I have kept throughout the years.
Her memory will be kept alive. She will continued to be treasured.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Love and peace to all of you.
From Dewayne Reding
Very fond memories of my Senior English teacher at Riverdal High School 35 years ago. High school and several universities later, I only remember a few instructors that were truly inspirational and memorable to me. Very pleasant lifelong memories of Mrs Lenski and fellow students. Some sort of bond occurred with classmates during Senior English. Some I had very little in common with, but we came together in her class. It's just hard to explain, but I thought of her often through the years. She was a special lady.
From Mark Klundt
I was in her Senior English class at Riverdale High in 1981. After reading her long list of personal life accomplishments, I can truly understand how it was that she became the educator that we knew her as. She lived and experienced many lifetimes before she even got to us. She was wise, shrewd, and witty in her teachings. She made it count. The class was considered college prep and that was a true definition for me. As I continued my education, the writing, speech, and American literature classes I took turned out to be my favorites. She had a role in sparking that interest. Many of us from Riverdale are truly grateful for learning from her. As we get older the thoughtful will realize the important impacts of others on their lives. Thank you, Mrs. Lenski, for being one of those. My prayers and hopes for peace are with her family.
From Mindy Peterson Weiss
Thank you for encouraging a love of learning! I apologize to you every time I miss a mythology question!
From Jennifer Hende…
Thank you Mrs. Lenski
I was fortunate to meet Mrs. Lenski in Senior English class at Riverdale. Mrs. Lenski gave me direction in a confusing world. She made me question the world around me and find personal meaning in something that we had read. Her stories and personal connection with the students became a model for my own teaching (I am now in year 32 of teaching English because of Mrs. Lenski). She made me love education and taught me to be tough but kind. I wanted nothing more than to please Mrs. Lenski and to never disappoint her. I hope that I lived up to that. The tributes here are evidence of a life well-lived and the impact that one person can have in this world. May we all impact and change the world around us in honor of Mrs. Lenski. Rest in peace.
From Tim Schroeder
Of all my teachers through grade school, high school, and college, Mrs. Lenski is one of those that I have thought of often. I can still hear her "Brooklyn brogue" as she taught my British Literature class. But she didn't just teach, as she was also interested in learning about each one of us as individuals. The stories of her experiences during WWII were fascinating, and still are. I'm grateful for having had her as a teacher. She was special.
Tim Schroeder, RHS '78
From Susan Marsden
Great teacher! I never really knew her personal life, but aboslutely loved reading this and learning about it.
RHS class of 81
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