Nanette Chezek

Nanette Chezek died peacefully June 9Th 2017 at Swan Creek Ohio Living. Nan was born in New York City on December 23, 1930,the daughter of John and Jean Quinn. .She was educated in parochial schools in New York and graduated from Mount St. Ursula. Nan and her husband Jack were married on February 18, 1950. .After living in the city and northern New Jersey, where their daughter Donna was born, the family moved to Toledo in 1953 when Jack was transferred by Doehler Jarvis. While her daughter was in school Nan was a stay at home Mom and an active volunteer. .Her involvement during those years included Brownie and Girl Scout leader, grade school gym leader, and the Council of Catholic Women. .It was the latter affiliation that started Nan on a 10 year career with Youth for Understanding, first as a volunteer and ultimately as Regional Director of a five state region. .During her time as Regional Director she was responsible for placing up to 1000 high school students from the United States and many overseas countries each year. This position also provided Nan and her husband with many opportunities to travel abroad and to meet and become friendly with couples from all over Europe and South America, as well as here in America. When her husbands business took them to Columbus, Nan once again became active. She became Executive Director of The Central Ohio Council for International Visitors. During her tenure Nan opened the first International Visitors headquarters at the Columbus International Airport. The site was subsequently used as a model nationwide by USIA. In an article about the center in the Columbus Dispatch Nan was named The Angel of the Airport. Subsequently Nan became the first full time Executive Director of the Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Columbus. The Foundation was a fledgling organization which received a major kick start from a fund raiser Nan helped organize to bring the Sistine Chapel Choir from Rome to Columbus. The evening netted nearly $ $500,000. Another job transfer took the family to Ann Arbor. Not able to sit still, Nan became Executive Director of the Washtenaw Council for the Arts. Upon returning to Toledo to be near her daughter Donna and family when Jack retired. Nan immediately reconnected with St Ursula Academy the school from which her daughter and three granddaughters graduated. She started and chaired for four years The Arrow and opened the schools annual golf outing. She also started the schools initial Celebrity Wait Night and chaired the event for the next four years. Since returning to the area Nan has been on the Boards of Senior Center, Sunset House, Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center and Moms House. As a Board member she was always quick to volunteer to help organize major fund raisers for each of these groups. Nan has also been very active in The Christ Child Society. Her initial venture for CCS was the first Celebrity Wait Night seen in Toledo. The proliferation of these events led The Blade Society Editor to recently refer to Nan as The Grand Dame of Celebrity Wait A prolific fund raiser for a variety of causes in numerous communities, Nans efforts will be sorely missed. Despite her many business and volunteer activities, Nan never let them stand in the way of her prime occupation wife, mother and grandmother, especially the latter. From private time birthday lunches when her granddaughters were young to vacations in many wonderful places and everything in between G was always available for the girls. Besides her husband Jack, Nan is survived by her daughter, Donna Posluszny (Dr. Edward), Grandaughters; Dr. Katherine Pavlick (Dr. Matt), Elizabeth Bald (Jon) and .Margaret Cochran (Pete) and two Great grandsons, Jack and Sam Pavlick. She also is survived by Sisters in Law, Dorothy Desi and Corinne Quinn, along with numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the staffs of Swan Creek Ohio Living and Hospice of Northwest Ohio for their compassionate care. A Memorial Mass will be at St Rose Catholic Church, Perrysburg, Ohio on Monday, June 19, 2017 beginning at 10:30 am. A gathering will be from 10:00 am until time of Mass. In lieu of flowers the family requests gifts in Nans name be made to the John & Nanette Chezek Scholarship Fund at St Ursula Academy or Ohio Living Swan Creek Foundation. Professional services provided by Blanchard-Strabler Funeral Home, (419-269-1111)