Bertha Thelma Cieslikowski

Bertha Thelma Cieslikowski, 89, passed away peacefully with family members at her side on May 4, 2009 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Mrs. Cieslikowski was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended high school and the Robinwood Hospital Nursing School in Toledo, Ohio. She later became a highly valued registered nurse working at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, Calif. Bertha and her family settled into the Coachella Valley in 1959 where her husband, Zeny, a freelance photographer, photographed various events such as the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament at desert area country clubs. In addition to organizing a household and caring for children, she devoted much of her time to her husband's photography business. Her husband died in 1964. Mrs. Cieslikowski was a founding member of Hope Lutheran Church in Palm Desert, Calif. and was a member of the church choir and other church activities. She was also a longtime, active member of the Rancho Mirage Woman's Club. Bertha often mentioned that she was busier in retirement than when she worked full time at Desert Hospital. She spent many long, happy hours working in her yard and garden at her home in Rancho Mirage and later in Palm Desert. Through her example, she conveyed a love of gardening, growing flowers and fruit trees to her children and grandkids. Even though she was busy with her many pursuits, Bertha always found time to help care for her eight grandchildren; often teaching them to cook alongside her. She grew up in a large family in Ohio, so cooking for a large group of family and friends was second nature to her. In the course of growing up and observing Bertha, many of her children learned basic cooking lessons that have served them well into adulthood. Bertha looked forward to and reveled in her large family dinner celebrations. On these occasions, she viewed her role, working in the kitchen all day, as a privilege. Everyone was always welcome at those family dinners. She often invited guests without a family or means to celebrate the holidays with her large family. She derived a great deal of joy when she could make her guests comfortable and happy, love and good food, not formality were the key ingredients to her successful family celebrations. She never wanted to miss a party. About a year ago, she convinced the attending doctor at EMC to release her so that she could attend her birthday celebration! Last month, during a conversation with family members, she related that 'she didn't want to go yet because she didn't want to miss anything'! Despite all of her activities, Bertha found time to write hundreds of poems, spanning five decades. Bertha was the family 'event chronicler'. Each time a family member or friend celebrated a milestone or marked a passage of life, she wrote a poem to commemorate the event. Weddings, births, birthdays, graduations and even death served as subjects of her writing. A birthday party wasn't complete without Bertha's reading of her commemorative poem; a wedding had much more meaning and significance when her poem was read and, at the passing of a loved one, a life was movingly and honestly put into perspective. Bertha also penned many poems dealing with everyday delights and difficulties such as her belief in God, nature, the desert, love, work and the problems brought upon by war and poverty. She once mentioned to one of her sons, who happened to be reading James Joyce, that she was unsure about her writing because she sometimes made up words because the sound was right. He opened "Ulysses" several times to random pages and found three or four 'made up' words per page. She felt a lot better after that! For those who knew Bertha, she will best and long be remembered for her kindness and generosity to all she knew and for her devotion to her family. Survivors include sons, Zeny T. Cieslikowski, Jr. of Corte Madera, Calif., Carl J. Cieslikowski of Palm Desert, Calif., David A. Cieslikowski of Washington, D.C.; daughter, Diane C. Reagan of Pacific Palisades, Calif.; son, Mark S. Cieslikowski of Palm Desert, Calif.; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. "Times change Years change Life changes We Love You We Will Miss You But grateful for the years gone by" From "Memories Linger" Bertha Cieslikowski September 2003 Burial will be held Sat. May 9, 2009 at 9:30 AM at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, Calif. A Memorial Service will be held Sun., May 10, 2009 at 12:00 PM at Hope Lutheran Church in Palm Desert, Calif. with a Reception to follow.