Christine Kajfasz

  It is with heavy hearts that we announce Christine Marie Kajfasz left her earthly home on Thursday, August 29, 2019 to be with the Lord to watch over us, protect us and guide us on our way.  She was born on Tuesday, August 10, 1948 at 2:48 a.m. in Mercy Hospital to Joseph Pete Kajfasz and RoseMarie (Smigielski) Kajfasz.  At age two her parents moved from Nebraska Ave. to Parkside Blvd. where she lived until her death. Christine attended St. Hyacinth School and was a longtime member of St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church where she was a Parish Nurse, and Eucharistic Minister, taking communion to shut-ins on Sunday mornings. 

  Following graduation from St. Hyacinth Grade School in 1962, she attended DeVilbiss High School and transferred to Whitney Vocational High School where she started out in Business Education but transferred to Health Services in her junior year and graduated in 1966.  Part of her high school experience was working every other week at Rowe Nursery School on Parkwood and Bancroft.  After graduating from Whitney in 1966 she went on to the University of Toledo graduating as a Medical Secretary going to work at the Toledo Health and Retiree Center on Ashland Avenue.  She then worked at Flower Memorial Hospital on Collingwood and when the hospital relocated to Sylvania she relocated also. Christine worked in Medical Records starting as a medical transcriptionist then taking a course to become an Accredited Records Technician (ART) doing Utilization Review with physicians for 18 years total.  

  Christine went back to school at the University of Toledo to be a Special Education teacher but changed her mind and went to Owens Community College and graduated as a Surgical Technician. She worked at Toledo Hospital in Surgery for 8 years as a scrub nurse and a circulator, doing eye surgery, general, plastics and wherever she was needed. Following her surgical career, she made a change to Hospice and worked at Hospice of Northwest Ohio for another 8 years as a Home Care Nurse. Working with hospice patients and their families makes you think about your own mortality and that we should not put off things till tomorrow because there may not be a tomorrow.  Christine then worked contingent for Southern Care Hospice, as their late-night person, going out to stay with patients who were dying and had no family to be with them.  She then worked full time as an office manager at First Choice Home Health Agency for 18 months but went back to Hospice home care with Heartland Hospice until her retirement in 2013 following back surgery.    

  Christine was a member of the CYO, the Young Ladies Sodality and the St. Hyacinth Holy Family Society (formerly the Altar Rosary Society) serving as Vice President and President when it was the Altar Society.  She also belonged to the St. Hyacinth Seniors and the Scott Park Mothers and Daughters Society.  She was a member at the Margaret Hunt Senior Center where she played in Wii bowling tournaments, learned to crochet, and made numerous true friends who always looked after her. 

  Christine was a world traveler starting with a bus trip with AAA to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Peggy's Cove Canada.  Her next trip was with her family to Toronto to see Pope John XXIII.  After that she started her world adventures to Europe.  She traveled to Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, and Belgium, where they saw the Grand Place where all the buildings are covered in 24 caret gold and then moved on to Ireland.  She also went to Great Britain and London where she saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and shopped at Harrods Department Store.  Next was St. Mark's Square in Venice, Assisi to visit St Francis of Assisi's Chapel and view his body as well as St. Clare's remains. Another trip was to Fatima, where she saw the grotto where Bernadette saw the Blessed Virgin, and then to the Convent at Nevers where St. Bernadette is buried in a glass enclosed coffin so her remains are viewed as if she were asleep.  Following that she went to Lisieux where the tour saw St. Therese of the Child Jesus' remains and her home.  France was another trip where she and a friend went up the Eiffel Tower to view the City of Lights lit up in all its majesty. Christine's most memorable trip was her last one, a Russian cruise, which started at St. Petersburg and sailed by night visiting villages along the way and ending in Moscow.  The cruise even stopped at Schmirnoff's for tasting vodka.  In Moscow, they saw the Bolshoi Ballet, the Moscow Circus with its famous bears, and the opera.  The highlights of the trip were St. Basil's Cathedral with the different colored spires, the Kremlin, and Red Square. Then back to Detroit and home.

  She is preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  She survived by her sister, Linda Sue (Kajfasz) Benham and husband William (Bill); nephew Wil; niece Katherine (Kate) Lynn Rose (Benham) Bacho and husband Blake and great-nephew Joseph (Joey) Andrew Bacho; great aunts and cousins.

  Christine wants to thank the staff at the Margaret Hunt Senior Center for their caring and concern and friendliness and for making her feel part of their family.  She also wants to thank Rev. Jim Sanford for his support and for being an unbiased listener when she needed to vent.  Also, Eleanor Stolarski who sent cards at the most appropriate times - thank you. Thanks also to her 'transportation crew' Linda Aubry, Mary Terry, Rita Neyhart, Diane S., and Catherine’s sister Linda, who were there when she needed rides to the doctors or shopping until she learned to drive a car adapted with hand controls so she could come and go when she wanted.

  Family and friends will be received at Sujkowski Funeral Home Northpointe, 114 E. Alexis Rd. on Wednesday, September 4th from 3-8 p.m. with the Rosary at 4 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be Thursday, September 5 at 11 a.m. in St. Hyacinth Catholic Church, preceded by visitation at the church from 10:30-11 a.m. 

  Christine would like to thank all those who visited and sent cards, or called to give support and encouragement during her long illness and surgeries till the end of her life.  No one knows how much a word, or card or phone call means to a person when you are alone.  That little bit of time to say hello means so much to the person to know they are remembered and not forgotten.

  Remember, when a person is sick or hasn't been to church for a while it's nice to find out why and if they need help.  Just because people haven't been to church doesn't mean they have disappeared off the face of the earth.  Remember those whom you have not seen for a while are the ones who need those prayers and support to show they are not forgotten.

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