Alice M (Kapera) Trembczynski

Alice Trembczynski passed away on Friday, February 26, 2021.

Alice seemed to beat the odds against her many times. In recent years she has battled many infections and illnesses, and sometimes the odds were dire, but she pulled through them. 

Alice was a graduate of East Chicago Roosevelt High School, class of 1969. She was well known for torturing Dr. Comer, the principal.  At one point he got on the P.A. and simply said, “Alice!  Get to my office right now!”  She wasn’t the only Alice in that school, but he didn’t bother to use her last name. 

She married Richard Trembczynski in 1972, when she was only 20. At one point she smuggled booze to him when he was in Vietnam via decapitated teddy bear. They shared a joke for all 49 years. Any time someone would say, "Would I?" the other would shout "Peg leg!" from somewhere in the house. 

Alice was a great mom. She took an interest in everything her children did. She worked retail at a toy store, so sometimes she “didn’t hear” her children when they were calling “Mom!”.  There were always toys and books. 

As she got older, she shared a little bit more. One time, while going down an alley in downtown Chicago, she asked her daughter, "Did I ever tell you about the time the cops chased me down an alley?" As it turns out, a not-yet 17 year old Alice had gone to protest at the Chicago  Democratic Convention of 1968. She even ran past a friend of hers from high school, who was also being chased by police. When asked why she was there in the first place, she said, "It was the 60s. We protested all the time." 

Alice rescued animals (sometimes legally and sometimes under the cover of darkness). She had lots of pets and she found homes for dozens of dogs and cats throughout the years. 

She loved her family. She loved all six foster kids that Jill has had.  She has been an amazing Grandma, Gamma, and, finally, Mimi.

In the Trembczynski house, there was a competition to see who would be the first to get a speeding ticket.  Despite being pulled over fewer times than other drivers, she was the first to get one.  She had to go to court for it, and every single plaintiff before her took a guilty plea. She looked around for the cop that wrote the ticket and then gambled on him not showing up to court. She proudly announced she was not guilty and ended up being told not to get another ticket for 6 months and it would be off her record. She was mostly a passenger after that day in court. 

Alice loved casinos and Las Vegas.  She liked to play slot machines.  She was a fan of bingo, especially electronic bingo.  She and her friend Leann would often find a way to pass the time at a casino. 

Alice loved to read.  She liked all genres – but some of her favorites were Helter Skelter, Teresa Weir, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Janet Evanovich.  She collected fairies and even had a Christmas tree that was exclusively fairies.

Alice loved her Cubbies.  She went to Cubs conventions, games, and even a tour of Wrigley Field. Her cats are named Wrigley and Rizzo.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Trembczynski; daughter Jill (Jonathan) Klopp; son, Adam; grandchildren Le’Ona,  Abby, Ali, Skyy,  and Emma; sisters Bernadette Sanner and Andrea Kapera; brother Raymond Kapera, uncle Stanley Dobosz, aunts Bonnie Dobosz and Jean Dobosz, best friend Leann Wilczewski and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.  She was preceded in death by her parents Jeanette and Edward Kapera, her brother John Kapera, and treasured friend James Wilczewski.

Friends are invited to visit with the family on Friday, March 5th at LaHayne Funeral Home 6955 Southeastern Ave. Hammond, IN from 2:00-5:00 PM. Because of COVID-19, face coverings must be worn and ask for social distancing to be applied.  For further information, please call LaHayne Funeral Home at 219/845-3600. 

If you want to remember her, loudly cheer on the Cubbies and/or plant something that will attract bees, birds, and butterflies. Her favorite color was purple.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the Humane Society of Hobart, IN would be appreciated as they welcomed the last couple groups of stray kittens.  (Also, they might be under the impression that she was a resident of Hobart.  As Alice said, the important part was that the kittens found homes. 

 C’est la vie.

 https://www.hshobart.org/ 

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