Jozef (Joe) Stanley Jablonski of Overland Park, Kansas, died peacefully in his sleep, with family by his side, on Thursday November 23, 2023 at Golden Hearts Home Care. He was born Heidenheim, Germany on June 21, 1946 and immigrated with his parents and older sister to the United States when he was 5 years old. His family found community in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it was there that his younger siblings were born, as was his reputation of being somewhat of a Polish Denis the Menace.
His 77 years were a celebration of family and faith, with time spent making friends, working, and practical joking in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas. Although many of Joe’s friends came by virtue of the work environments he dedicated himself to through the years to support his family, and there is a vault of humorous stories from his athletic years gone by as he participated in Corporate Challenge events and company picnics, it was those off-the-clock relationships that built a community for his family to lean on for support or share in celebration as the years went by. It feels fitting that one of his favorite jobs was the last one he was able to hold before his Parkinson’s Disease made working too much of a task; his work as a crossing guard for the Shawnee Mission School District was not only rewarding and purposeful, but it gave him an ample audience to work on his (grand)dad jokes.
Outside of the workplace Joe had many things that he enjoyed doing with his time, chief amongst those being alternating between cheering on and cursing the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. While it is unclear how healthy of a hobby that is for Nebraskans, thankfully he was not stubborn to the point of being irrational and he also devoted time to his men’s Bible study group, volunteering at church and in the local community, attending his grandkids’ activities, exercising and shutting down the dance floor at every wedding.
Although his life was not free of hardship, losing family and friends before their time and living with Parkinson’s for 17 years, his laughter and humorous spirit made him a great example of adapting to your challenges rather than being defined by them. Through the years it was the support of his family and friends that allowed the difficulties he faced to be far more manageable and lighthearted. Joe is fondly remembered by his wife Dee of 49 years, and together they have 2 sons, 3 daughters, 3 children in law and multiple grandchildren.
He leaves behind 3 siblings and numerous nieces and nephews. His family is grateful for the phone calls, visits, messages, and cards from people near and far that were part of Joe’s weekly schedule. There were also a countless number of surprise visits over the last several years that brightened his days once he could no longer live at home.
The Jablonski family wants to acknowledge a special gratitude for the entire care team at Golden Hearts Home Care where Joe lived for the last 18 months. In addition, the Ascend Hospice personnel that helped guide and support Joe and his family in his final several weeks is deserving of the highest accolade for allowing peace, dignity, and love to be all that he experienced. In lieu of flowers the family would invite you to make a donation in Joe’s honor to any of the following organizations: -Parkinson’s Foundation (https://www.Parkinson.org) -Kansas Health System/Turning Point -Rock Steady Boxing OR If you’ve got a bit of the Joe Jablonski sense of humor in your spirit, you could take the time to reminisce about his life and spend the money on any one of his favorite vices:
-7 UP
-Tootsie Pops
-Long John donuts
-Wendy’s Frosty
-unhealthy carbs (ie-chips/cookies/beer)
Memorial reception at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens (the Long House building)
9209 W. 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013 Saturday, December 9th, 2023 from 10:00-11:30am. Family and friends of all ages are welcome to attend the memorial at the Arboretum and the cemetery.”
