Louise E. Gawlik

Born to Raymond and Edith in 1929 (goodbye Roaring Twenties - hello Great Depression!) in Illinois, Louise lived her early life accompanied by her brother Robert, and attended Steinmetz High School. While working in a department store after the war, Louise met near neighbor and Coast Guard veteran Chester J. (Chet) Gawlik, and they married in 1948. While bearing five children as a young mother, Louise followed Chet through various career promotions. The family lived in multiple upper-Midwest cities, and also the Seattle area. In 1968, the family moved to Chesterfield, near St. Louis, where Louise lived joyously for most of the remainder of her life. Led by her artistic nature, Louise started a successful ceramics studio (The Clay Corner) in Chesterfield, knitted prolifically, and took up photography, in which she excelled. She also gravitated to stained glass art; her custom designed creations grace many homes and businesses. She was a juried artist and a member of the Greater St. Louis Art Association, and exhibited at several regional art shows. In her late 40s, Louise realized a life-long goal. With the encouragement of her five sons, she supported herself through four years of nursing school, and graduated as a registered nurse in 1981 from Maryville University. “It was a happy day in my life,” she remembered. After graduating, she worked in a hospital for a short time then turned to her true passion – new moms. Louise accepted a position as a visiting nurse, lovingly caring for newborn babies and their moms until her retirement at the age of 79. Louise loved travel and adventure, and enjoyed taking advantage of opportunities presented by her sons who lived overseas. She traveled extensively in UK, Germany, Italy, and Japan while visiting one of her sons. She also traveled to Kenya and Egypt, where another son piloted hot air balloon trips over big game preserves and ancient temples. How many people have a picture of their mom riding an elephant! Family was important to Louise, and she made frequent trips to Colorado to visit three of her sons. Upon hearing she would be a grandmother, it was important to Louise that she achieve a close relationship with her grandchild, despite living far away. After her grandson was born in 1986 in Durango, she visited Colorado even more often. No visit with her grandson was complete without a trip to the bowling alley where Louise won every game, except for one. After Chet died, Louise remained in Chesterfield before moving to Springwod Retirement Community in Arvada, CO, allowing her to live closer to her sons. She spent the remainder of her years at Springwood where she died on April 25, 2020 after contracting the Covid-19 virus. Louise will be remembered as a loving, caring mother, grandmother, aunt and, most of all, as a compassionate, dedicated friend. Donations in Louise's honor may be given to The Visiting Nurse Association of St. Louis at www.vnastl.com/donate