Obituary of Felicia P. Borkowski

Felicia Borkowski, age 99 years, 8 months, passed away on Friday, October 11, 2013 at the Life Care Center of Banner Elk. Before moving to North Carolina she had lived most of her life in Steubenville, Ohio. Felicia was the daughter of the late Feliks and Valeria Bialkowski Pawlowski. She was also preceded in death by her husband Francis "Frank" T. Borkowski and by her brothers, Wenceslaus Pawlowski, Joseph Pawlowski, Julian Pawlowski, and Feliks Pawlowski. She is survived by her son, Francis T. Borkowski, Jr. and daughter-in-law Kay Kaiser Borkowski of Valle Crucis; grandchildren Stanley Borkowski (Inga) of Columbia, South Carolina, Anne-Marie Scott (Robert) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Christian Borkowski (Karen) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and four great-grandchildren, Mary Loretta (Molly) Scott, Nora Ellen Scott, Ian Matthew Borkowski, and Ryan Michael Borkowski. Felicia was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1914. She grew up in Weirton, West Virginia and attended Weir High School for two years before leaving school to work at Weirton Steel. She and Frank settled in Steubenville after they married and were active members of St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church and St. Peter's Church in Steubenville. A tireless volunteer and contributor, Felicia devoted many years of service to the Jefferson County chapter of the American Red Cross; in November 1995, she was commended on the floor of the Ohio House of Representative for her service to that organization and in November 2000 she was presented with a 40-year pin. She was long active in the local chapter of the YWCA, serving on that board for 12 years. She was a member of the Catholic Women's Club at St. Stanislaus, a board member of the local chapter of the AARP, and in 1998 received a 10-year certificate from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of the Corporation for National Service. Felicia also served on Steubenville's Dean Martin Committee; the Steubenville Bicentennial Commission and the Steubenville Murals Project. She regularly read to young children as part of Steubenville's Head Start program, and also volunteered at the American Cancer Society. Raised in a Polish-speaking household, Felicia took care to safeguard Polish culture and traditions throughout her life. She spoke the language fluently and served as an interpreter for the Polish team at the Special Olympics in Boone in 1999. She was a 67-year member of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. Felicia was an expert at cooking traditional Polish dishes and shared her skill and appreciation with her family. A fervent believer in the value of education, she encouraged and supported her son and grandchildren in their educational endeavors and furthered her own education at every opportunity: she received her G.E.D. after the age of 50, acquired a business degree after that, and attended numerous Elderhostel programs in retirement. She proudly received an honorary diploma from Steubenville High School in 1994. She loved to travel and made numerous pilgrimage trips to religious shrines in the United States and Canada. She also journeyed to Europe, Egypt, and several times to her beloved Poland. She met the Pope John Paul II on three separate occasions. Felicia enjoyed living in and maintaining her home independently until well into her later years. Visitation will be at Mosti Funeral Home, 4435 Sunset Boulevard, Steubenville, Ohio on Friday, Oct. 18th. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 Saturday morning, October 19th at St. Peter's Church followed by burial at St. Paul Cemetery in Weirton. Austin and Barnes Funeral Home is assisting the family locally.