Jean Poplyk

Jean was born in Cleveland, the youngest of five children to Matthew Dressig and Amalia Revallo on September 13, 1943.

When she turned 18, she married Robert James Poplyk, (1941 - 2005) her high school sweetheart. Their intense love was evident to the world, because by 1971, the family had expanded to include seven children.

Jean was a devoted mother and wife who concentrated on raising her family until her youngest began school. At which point she returned to the workforce braving the hazard of a daily commute by crossing the street to work at Meister Publishing Company where she worked until retiring in 1989.

Jean felt that as a mother she was obligated to set a good example- so in what precious little free time she had, she volunteered for various Christian based organizations, taught catechism for years, served as a den mother and a brownie leader, and worked at the Immaculate Conception parish rectory. Notably when called upon to testify at court after witnessing a convenience store holdup- she didn't hesitate for a second and considered doing so her civic duty.

Jean was especially proud of the time when she was invited to speak by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington after they created a special installation of a historic schoolroom based on Dunham School in Cleveland, Ohio. She shared her memories creating vivid sense images of rustling papers, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and mittens drying on the radiators during the frigid Northern Ohio winters for countless visitors.

Jean is survived by her seven children and their spouses, Rachel (Andy) Legerski, Greg (Patrick Wiley) Poplyk, Ronald (Margarita) Poplyk, Bradley (Marybeth) Poplyk, Renae (Dan) Hirz, Robbie (John) McMinn, and David (Jen) Poplyk. She was the special "Gram Crackers" to 16 grandchildren, Matthew (Tiffany), Madeline (Curtis), Megan (Hueston), Murphy and Killian, Matthew, Kerry (Will), Christie (Jared), Keara, Ian and John, Alexandra, Sophia and Emma, Joseph (Lexie) and Michael. She was "Great Gram Crackers" to Arya, Ezra, Leah, Joseph and Luca. She was adored by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins all of whom are going to miss this special woman terribly.

Visiting hours to remember Jean and celebrate her life will take place on Thursday January 22, 2026 from 3:00 – 7:00 PM at the McMahon-Coyne-Vitantonio Funeral Home located at 38001 Euclid Ave., Willoughby. The Funeral Mass will take place on Friday, January 23nd, at 10:00 am at Immaculate Conception Church, 37940 Euclid Ave. with burial to follow at Willoughby Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of the Western Reserve or the City Mission of Cleveland.