Eugenia Basak

Passed on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at the age of 78. She was born on April 6, 1938 in Tomaszw, Lubelskie, Poland the daughter of the late Boleslaw and Janina (Cwik) Cabaj and immigrated to the United States in 1960. Eugenia was a former member of St. Augustine Cathedral and currently a member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. She served as a Eucharistic Minister, enjoyed knitting prayer shawls with her grandson, Nicholas as part of the care and support team, and delivered Meals on Wheels as part of her lifelong stewardship in the Church. She was proud of her Polish heritage and shared it with anyone she metincluding them in her traditions around the holidays and feeding them her delicious homemade food every time someone would visit. She had a passion for gardening and spent countless hours caring for her beautiful flowers. She had many friends who she cared for like family. Eugenia connected with each person she met seeking out opportunities to make people smile with a joke, prank, or thoughtful gesture. Her love for her family-- especially her grandchildren-- was beyond measure. The time she spent cooking, eating and playing games with her family brought her immense joy. Eugenia was a hard worker her entire life, she began working at the Shakespeare Company, working for over 20 years, until she began her job with the Upjohn Company, until she retired. On May 22, 1955 Eugenia married Edward Basak who preceded her in death on October 21, 1996. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Albin Cabaj. Surviving are two sons, Leszek "Les" Basak of Baltimore, MD and Boleslaw "Bill" (Brenda Tarnow) Basak of Kalamazoo; two grandchildren, Alyce Basak and her fiance', Nick Machcinski and Nicholas Basak; a sister-in-law, Kazimiera Cabaj; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation will be held 5-8pm on Wednesday, September 28th at Langeland Family Funeral Home, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street. On Thursday, September 29th, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1150 W. Centre Avenue in Portage, MI, a prayerful gathering with Eugenia and the family will begin at 10am in the Trinity Chapel followed by a Rosary in the sanctuary at 10:45am. The funeral Mass will commence at 11am, with Fr. Stanley Witek, Presiding. Entombment in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery will follow a time of fellowship at the church. Memorials may be directed to Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo, or St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Portage, Michigan. Eugenia loved Pope John Paul II, Love and Responsibility; in conclusion we wanted to include a descriptive quote of his that summarized Eugenia's outlook on life: "Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom- it is to giving of the self, and to give one's self, means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another." Please visit Eugenia's personalized web page for directions, online guest book or to leave a condolence. www.langelands.com