Irena “Irene” Soroko
Mrs. Irena (Ziembicka) Soroko, a resident of Stevens Point since 1959, daughter of Adam Ziembicki (d. 1949) and Zofia Ziembicka (d. 1995), passed away peacefully among her family at the palliative care center of Aspirus Hospital in Wausau on March 31, 2019.
She had been predeceased by her husband Antoni S. Soroko in 1999, her son Robert Soroko in 1983, and her son Anthony M. Soroko in 2004.
Mrs. Soroko is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her sons are: Adam K. Soroko of Minneapolis, Minn. and his wife Mary Fogarty; Alexander P. Soroko of Arlington, VA, his wife Susan; and their children Sonya, Valaria, and Anna; Eugene J. Soroko of Ladysmith, Wis. and his daughter Briana; Julius E. Soroko of Farmington, NM, and his wife Lubomira, and their daughter, Evelyn; and Lee Soroko of Boca Raton, Fla. and his wife April, and their children Zofia and Nikolai.
Mrs. Soroko’s daughters are: Emilia S. Soroko of Chicago, Ill. and her husband Forrest Carlson; Victoria M. Soroko of Stevens Point; Yolanta T. (Soroko) Baumann of Wausau and her husband Kraig Baumann, and their children, Teressa, Bennett, and Noah; Antoinette (Jagielski) Budelier, her husband Ron, and their children, Sydni and Mason; Beata G. (Soroko) McNamee, her husband Bruce Winfield, their children, Regan, Madison, and Gabriela.
Mrs. Soroko’s grandchildren Renee Soroko, her husband Craig Soroko, and their children Sara and Sadie, and, Ryan Soroko, his wife Stacy, and their children Corrina and Abilene.
Mrs. Soroko was born in Kzemieniec, Poland on April 12, 1925. Her parents later moved to Kowal, Poland.
In 1939 the city was placed under the Soviet sector of the partition of Poland and was there during the German invasion of Russia in 1941. During the Soviet occupation, her oldest sister was deported to Siberia. Her older brother joined the resistance. The Germans moved her parents, herself, and her younger brother to Stuttgart, Germany as forced labor in 1943.
She was injured during Allied bombing of Germany.
After the war, she was part of Allied USO during the occupation of Germany. There she met and married Antoni S. Soroko, a Polish Air Force Captain who had escaped a prisoner of war camp was assigned to the US 3rd Army occupation forces.
In 1949, she moved to Wisconsin with her husband, son, and mother, under the auspices of Allied forces displaced persons instead of returning to Poland behind the Iron Curtain. Initially, the family lived in Two Rivers, Wis. before moving to Stevens Point in 1959.
In Stevens Point, Mrs. Soroko was an editor at Gwiezda Polarna, the national Polish-American newspaper. Mrs. Soroko also raised her family and was a strong member of the parish of St. Peters. She was known as having an open heart and warm welcome to her children’s friends and family. Mrs. Soroko had a strong constitution and will be deeply missed by all who have ever known her.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Rev. Arul Joseph Visuvasam officiating. Burial will be in the Guardian Angel Cemetery.
Family and friends may call from 9 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Faustina Room of St. Peter’s Church until the time for mass.
The Pisarski Funeral Home of Stevens Point is honored to be serving the family. Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.pisarskifuneralhome.com.
