Marie Langner Biography

Marie Elaine LANGNER was born 13 Apr 1918 in Cicero, Cook County, Illinois, to Martin and Bessie (DOLECKI) LANGNER.

1924
Marie & Florence ANDERSON
in Aunt Stella & Frank REMBLOS wedding

"Mom described herself as a ‘tomboy’ when she was young. I know she was athletic, and energetic. She played tennis and was a good swimmer. However, when Mom was a teen, she nearly drowned in the Cermak pool. She apparently hit her head diving in the pool and was pulled from the pool while still unconscious. She was revived with artificial respiration at pool side. Because she did not go back into the pool anytime soon, she developed a fear of water that lasted throughout her life." [*CMP]

Marie and Harry PIETRZAK were married 30 Apr 1938 in Cicero, Cook County, Illinois. They had two children, Carl (1939) and Susan (1942).

"Mom was not accepted by the Pietrzak family. After years of wondering I think the reasons were:
a) Grandpa’s ‘rum running’,
b) Grandpa’s affiliation with the Masons, and
c) the Dolecki ventures into Spiritualism.
It wasn’t until some of my cousins began marrying non-Catholics that she gained some measure of acceptance. The fact that she hadn’t been argumentative all those years also helped." [*CMP]

"Mom’s health was broken by the doctor and nurses that did not attend to her properly when she was giving birth to me. After four days of labor, and actual harassment by the nuns at St. Elizabeth’s (‘you should have thought about the pain nine months ago’), the doctors finally did a cesarean section. They did so only after Grandpa ordered an ambulance to come for her at that hospital and take her to another to receive proper care. However, more important to the Catholics running the hospital was the fact that my heart beat was weakening. It disgusts me to this day that the fetus is more important to this fanatic viewpoint than the woman carrying the baby. When Mom had a hysterectomy (sometime in her forties) the attending physician wanted to know ‘who did this to you’. He considered the birth doctor a butcher for, in the doctors words ‘he sewed her up like a piece of meat,' expecting her to die.

"Having had such a near death experience giving birth to me, Grandpa was really angry at both Mom and Dad when he found out Mom was pregnant and carrying Susie. I do recall Mom coming home with Susie. I met them at the door and told Mom to ‘Take her back. We don’t need her.' Between Grandpa and me, we really made Susie feel welcome." [*CMP]

1942
Marie Pietrzak, Adeline Strzlecki, Florence Bronzarczyk

1946 Apr 21
Kay & Ray Langner, Marie, Carl & Sue Pietrzak

"The two principals that Mom lived by were:
a) If someone is mean and hurts you, do not seek revenge, but ‘turn the other cheek’, and
b) If you do not have anything good to say about a person, then say nothing.
The first one never felt right to me, but I think the second is sage advice. I don’t recall Mom ever saying anything bad about anyone. Even when it was obvious that someone had done or said something to hurt her, Mom never said anything to me, even when I asked. She just did not speak ugly about anyone." [*CMP]

"Aunt Marie had a phobia about crossing over water on bridges. She would get out and spit first. And, she could not drive across. Uncle Harry had to do the driving." [*ML]

"Aunt Marie sat down with me to look through a MAD Magazine. She laughed the whole time. She was particularly hysterical when we read, 'If your wife wants to drive, don’t stand in her way.' Aunt Marie went home and ordered a subscription for me." [*ML]

Marie gathered Pietrzak and Langner family histories for more than five years. Sue has the Pietrzak project. Carl has what there is of the Langner project, and it was incorporated in Norma’s version of the family history.

1970
The 4 Grandkids
John, Carl, Terri, and Chrystine

Marie PIETRZAK died 25 Oct 1978 with little warning from cardiac arrest. She woke up in the middle of the night. She told Uncle Harry she was going to go to the bathroom because she felt nauseous. When he realized it had been quite a while since she left, he went to check on her. Marie was unconscious and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Marie Elaine LANGNER

1918 - 1978