Yvonne Chelecki

Mrs. Yvonne Chelecki, Ph.D., age 83, died on December 26, 2019. She was born, Countess Yvonna Alicia Radziszewska Szczurowska into Polish Aristocracy in Luck, Wolyn, Poland on August 4, 1936 to Jan and Aniela Radziszewska Szczurowska. Her fairytale childhood was interrupted in 1938 by the invasion on Poland at the outset of WWII. Her uncle, the prominent governor Judge Count Henryk Jozewski, was granted permission by the Polish government to transfer his entire family to the city of Lodz in central Poland. Mrs. Chelecki's two brothers, Ryszard and Edward, died as children during a meningitis epidemic in 1941 and 1942. Her mother died when she was five. Her father subsequently lived in exile in England, where he died in 1984. She began her medical studies while still in Poland and met her future husband, Dr. Stefan Chelecki at Jagielonski University of Krakow in 1954. Dr. Chelecki was able to travel to West Berlin and in 1957, HR. Yvonna met him there. There were married on June 12, 1958 at an historic church in West Berlin. Dr. and Mrs. Chelecki had two sons, Adam-Michal and Edward, who died in infancy. On March 26, 1960, the Chelecki's immigrated to America. Dr. Chelecki worked as an internist at Evangelical Hospital of Chicago, while Mrs. Chelecki continued her medical studies. In 1965, they moved to Northville, Michigan where Dr. Chelecki changed his specialty to Psychiatry. In 1968, Dr. and Mrs. Chelecki moved to Madison, where Dr. Chelecki accepted a teaching position. After a long and distinguished career, Dr. Chelecki died of cancer on January 17, 1989. His death was especially sad for Mrs. Chelecki since he was also a soulmate and her last link to her homeland. Mrs. Chelecki continued her medical education throughout her life and attended St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison since 1992. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 401 S. Owen Dr., Madison, on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 11:00 am, with Msgr. Kenneth J. Fiedler presiding. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery. A visitation will be held one-hour prior at church.