Arlene Kostecki, 61

Chicago Tribune
May 14, 2005

As a teacher's assistant at McHenry Montessori School, Arlene Kostecki was surrounded by children and caring adults--two groups she cherished. "She loved being around the kids and the other teachers," said her daughter, Loriann Olenick. "She enjoyed this whole community." Mrs. Kostecki was never reluctant to make a new friend. "She had a gift of a personality. You met her once, and you wanted to be with her again. I bet she knows more people in this town than I will ever know in my entire lifetime," her daughter said. Mrs. Kostecki, 61, of McHenry, died Thursday, May 12, in her home of cancer. Born in Chicago, the second oldest of seven children, Mrs. Kostecki left high school to take care of her terminally ill mother. In 1963, she married her husband, Alphonse, whom she met while she worked the assembly line at Hudson Screw Machine Co. in Chicago. In 1976, the family moved to McHenry. Mrs. Kostecki stayed home to raise her children but returned to work eight years ago, shortly after her husband suffered a stroke. She loved animals. Strays often found a waiting meal at her home. Before she became too ill, Mrs. Kostecki also volunteered at the Save-a-Pet shelter in Ringwood. "She took people for who they were and didn't expect people to change or be different. And she didn't have to have a million dollars to be happy," her daughter said. In addition to her husband and daughter, other survivors include two more daughters, Juliann Kostecki and Georgeann Escorza; a son, Matthew; three sisters, Gerri Cyzen, Florence Jones and Linda Williams; two brothers, Frank and Terry Quigley; and five grandchildren. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. Saturday until the 10 a.m. mass in Church of the Holy Apostles, 5211 Bull Valley Rd., McHenry.