Therese Mary Sobieski

Therese Mary Sobieski, the "reading lady" of Lorain, passed away Sunday, October 07, 2012 at New Life Hospice after a brief illness and 94 years full of life. She was born February 24, 1918. Therese had a life-long career in teaching and reading was her passion. After earning a degree in education from St. John's College, she began teaching in the Cleveland area in 1945. She moved back home in 1953 to take care of her mother when her father died and began teaching 1stgrade in Lorain City Schools at Boone Elementary. She began tutoring students privately at her home while pursuing her master's degree at Western Reserve (now Case Western Reserve University). In 1965 she moved on to become director of a Title One program for remedial reading that won state and national awards. She led the program until her retirement in 1988. She continued to tutor reading even until a few weeks ago when she became ill. Therese can account for having tutored more than 5000 children since she began tutoring in 1954. Whether from her years at Boone School or her years tutoring reading, nothing gave her greater pleasure than to hear that one of her students was having success in life. Even while she was in the hospital these last two weeks, many people who came to visit or even worked at the hospital commented that they knew her from teaching or tutoring. Therese was a devout Catholic and attended Nativity BVM Church where she was a member of the Altar and Rosary Society and had many wonderful friends. She loved to cook& experiment with recipes. She enjoyed entertaining in her home as well as going out with friends. She liked to travel, especially to visit family in Florida, Michigan, and Las Vegas. She never saw a casino she didn't want to try her hand at! Aunt Therese is survived by her nieces and nephews, the children of her brother Stanley (Stace) and his wife Mary: Ray (Cathie) Sobieski of Colorado, Joan (Tom) Keenan of Florida, Gloria (Ramon) Herrera of Nevada, John (Debbie) Sobieski of Vermilion, and Loretta (Darrell) Jones of Michigan; many grandnieces & great grandnieces and grandnephews; and her special friend Esther Hunt. She was predeceased by her parents Louis& Mary (Lewandowski) Sobieski, brothers Joseph, Victor, and Stanley, and sister Mary Greulich. Friends may call Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 from 4-8 pm at the Dombrowski-Riddle Funeral Home 1939 Oberlin Ave., Lorain, OH where the Altar and Rosary Society will say the Rosary at 6:00 pm. Prayers will be said at the funeral home on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 at 9:30 am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Nativity BVM Church, 418 W. 15th St., Lorain. Rev. Robert J. Glepko will officiate. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Lorain. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff of Mercy Regional Hospital of Lorain for their expert & compassionate care and to the staff of New Life Hospice Center for their wonderful benevolent care over her last days. Memorial Contributions are suggested to Nativity BVM, 418 W. 15th St., Lorain, OH 44052 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 Online condolences may be made at www.dombrowskifuneralhome.com