JEANETTE M. NOWAKOWSKI

Jeanette passed away on Oct. 14, 2022, at Turning Brook of Alpena after an extended illness. She was preceded in death by her husband Adolph, her parents Mark and Catherine (Donahue) Greene, her sisters Frances (Greene) Farry and Mary Ellen Greene, son-in-law Larry McCoy, grandchildren Matthew Hoppe, Jessica Bartunek, and Mark McCoy.

Jeanette was born in Detroit in 1922 to Mark and Catherine (nee Donahue) Greene and moved to Chicago the following year. Residing with her widowed maternal grandfather, whom she called ‘Papa,’ Jeanette grew up enjoying the excitement that Chicago had to offer. In 1924, she was blessed by the birth of her sister Frances.

Following their mother’s death in the 1930s, Jeanette and Frances were sent to Alpena to live with their paternal grandparents. Jeanette attended St. Anne High School where she met her future husband, Adolph.

Following graduation from High School, Jeanette attended Fox Business School in Chicago. She went on to work as an administrative assistant for an executive at GM in Detroit.

Jeanette married Adolph during World War II and later settled in Alpena where they raised nine children together.

In retirement, Jeanette pursued studying her ancestry to learn more about her Irish roots. She went on to publish three books, two on her parent’s families and one on the Polish family that she married into. She was a member of the Genealogical Society where she employed her skills to help others with their research.

Jeanette was a long-standing member of St. Anne Catholic Church, its Sodality and served on the boards of Catholic Central, Saint Anne School, and Holy Cross Cemetery.

Jeanette enjoyed hearing (and talking about) the accomplishments of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren! She also had a soft spot in her heart for animals.

In addition to her nine children, she is survived by the following grandchildren: Jennifer (Steve) Spomer, David (Heather) Benac, Ben (Brooke Alloway) Nowakowski, Meghan (Matt) Cameron, Tom (Sarah) Nowakowski, Bill (Aron) Chavez, Anita (Daniel Berry) Chavez-Berry, Julie Nowakowski, Lisa Nowakowski, Amy (Tim Campbell) Nowakowski, Luke (Tani) McCoy, Sarah (Matt) Copping, Jamie (Alan) Talaski, Matt Arthur, Steve Arthur, Rebecca (Josh Ulstedt) Matlack, Jessica (Randy) Sunset, Alyssa (Jeremy) Goff, Corey Nowakowski, Douglas (Jennifer) Pupard, Michael Nowakowski, Natalie Nowakowski, Catherine (William) Zheng, and Christopher Bartunek.

Jeanette’s great-grandchildren include: Kali and Emilee Spomer; Gus and Rose Nowakowski; Conner, Grace, Madelynn and Amelia Cameron; Logan, Olivia, Lucy and Levi Nowakowski; Franz, Vernon and Ariana Chavez; Hoshi Berry; Kyle Werda; Ella and Livi Campbell; Kaylie and Kinsie McCoy; Ellora and Stella Johnson; Maximus and Penelope Copping; Gauge Talaski; Marcus Moretti; Kyra Goff; Ewan and Ivy Renn; Atlas and Eris Pupard; Elias and Adeline Zheng. Jeanette is also survived by a niece and several nephews.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at Bannan Funeral Home from 4 p.m. until the time of the funeral service at 7 p.m. with the Rev. Michael Lingaur officiating.

Interment: Holy Cross Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, Jeanette would have appreciated your donations to All Saints of Alpena or the Huron Humane Society.