May Jeanette Janecek Kollaja

May Jeanette Janecek KollajaCorpus Christi, TXMay Jeanette Janecek Kollaja, age 88, of Corpus Christi died on March 18, 2015 surrounded by her family. She was born May 10, 1926 to Cyril and Ruth Bracht Janecek in Runge, Texas. May was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Lois Janecek Hickey and Sr. Patricia Ruth Janecek, IWBS; infant son Robert Joseph; and husband and partner Albert John Kollaja, Sr., who died in 1993, also on March 18.May graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in 1943. She and Al were married on September 16, 1950 at Corpus Christi Cathedral. In 1953, they founded Imperial Mill & Fixtures, which grew into a successful and respected architectural woodworking firm. May ran the office and kept the books for the company while raising six children and being an active volunteer in the community. After Al's death, May continued to operate Imperial Mill & Fixtures for many years along with two of her sons, Jim and Albert, who continued the company's legacy. May and Al raised their family in Portland, where May was the first woman elected to the Gregory-Portland ISD school board, serving two terms in the 1970's. She was a volunteer for many years with SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business and edited a weekly SCORE column for the Caller-Times. In 2002 May was named SCORE Counselor of the year by the local chapter and also received the Jefferson Award by the American Institute for Public Service.In 2007, May was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Corpus Christi YWCA. She was a member of Sultanas de Baza, a Catholic women's social organization that assists special needs persons, sang in her parish choir and participated in many other church ministries. At her death she was a member of St. Philip's Catholic Church, but over her lifetime was an active member of other parishes, including Mt. Carmel in Portland, Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Pius, and St. Theresa in Corpus Christi.May will be remembered by those who knew and loved her for her vivacious spirit, can-do attitude, and deep and abiding faith. She loved to travel and attend the Corpus Christi Symphony and local opera performances. In recent years she lived at Mirador Retirement Community, where, in keeping with her lifetime habit, she knew everyone by name and participated in the many activities offered.The family would like to thank the staff at Mirador and New Century Hospice for the loving care they provided to May in her final days. May is survived by her children-her proudest achievement: Jim Kollaja (Mary); Tom Kollaja (Mallory), Suzie Kollaja, Albert Kollaja (Sharon), Danny Kollaja, and Ted Kollaja (Elaine); siblings Herb (Betty) Janecek, David (Charlotte) Janecek, Sister Jude Janecek, IWBS; grandchildren James Jr., Joshua (Anna); Emily (Ted); Nicholas, T. J., Alex, and Sophie Kollaja; Chad (Molly), Cody (Gena), and Shea Evans; Katie and Shea Simpson, Kristen DaSilva, and many nieces and nephews.The family will receive friends beginning at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, March 22, 2015, at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church with a Rosary to be recited at 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 23, 2015, at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, with a graveside service following at Rose Hill Cemetery.It is May's wish that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament Retirement Fund, 2930 S. Alameda, Corpus Christi, Texas, 78404 or your favorite charity.