Monica Marie Fadroski

In the twilight of a crisp winter evening, at the beginning of a new year, a beautiful gentle soul began a new life in the kingdom of heaven. Monica (Kolaszewski) Fadroski peacefully and painlessly departed this world on January 2, 2025, snuggled warmly in her bed in the comforting presence of her beloved family. 

Monica was born on July 12, 1938 in Menominee, Michigan to Ben and Dorothy Kolaszewski. She was raised in the Wallace, Michigan area and graduated from Stephenson High School in 1955. She lived much of her young adult life in Upper Michigan, then resided for several years in the Seymour, Wisconsin area. In 2014, she built her dream home on the bay in Green Bay where she happily lived the remainder of her life. 

The accomplishments she achieved throughout her life are numerous and impressive. But according to her, her greatest accomplishment of all was raising her seven children. While raising them, she transformed her property, that at one time had been a junkyard, into a beautiful yard and bountiful garden. (Later in life she became a member of the Master Gardener program.) She was also pretty handy at doing home improvements, and was a superb Polish cook. A life-long Catholic, she was a woman of deep faith and kept all of those she held dear in her daily prayers.

Once her youngest was in school, Monica began her career as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Seymour, where she was the first full-time female letter carrier — a post she held for 28 years. 

Not long after beginning her postal job, she was diagnosed with cancer that required major invasive surgery, which her surgeon predicted would prolong her life for another 20 years… That was nearly 40 years ago. Resilience, hard work, and determination got her through some major roadblocks throughout her life. 

After Monica’s children were grown, she decided to take on a second full-time job as a caregiver at Agape of Appleton. Between the two full-time jobs, she was working 96 hours a week — definitely a lot of hours — but she was driven to acquire the additional income necessary to allow her to pursue a dream that she had long wished for: to travel the world. And so she did…

Her travels took her to 40 countries on all seven continents, including Antarctica, and to many unusual and spectacular places. She’s been to base camp on Mount Everest in Tibet, walked the Great Wall of China, hiked to the natural habitat of the mountain gorillas in Uganda, slept on the banks of the Niger River, toured the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, traveled on the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia, and even visited Timbuktu, just to name a few. She also visited 49 U.S. states. 

Monica had a love for music. She sang with the Sweet Adelines for many years. A prominent fixture in her home was a baby grand piano that she played frequently, and she loved to attend concerts of all different genres. She was also a life-long lover of books and a voracious reader.

She was an avid fan of NFL football and NBA basketball, but her favorite sporting events to attend were any games her kids, grandkids or great-grandkids were participating in. 

Monica was immensely loved and will be immeasurably missed by her children: Lori LaBarge, Kathy Lahay, Mike (Debbie) Lahay, Mark (Amy) Lahay, Michele (Chris Eick) Schabow, Tony (Nikki) Fadroski; grandchildren: John Moses, Brooke (Justin) Ritchie, Dillon (Jess Richie) Braun, Allison & Mikayla Lahay, Zachary, Ashley & Joshua Lahay, Brianna (fiancé Jacob Janzer) & Conner (fiancée Lauren Nix) Schabow, Lucas & Hunter Leitch, Jabari Friend; and great-grandchildren: Jacob Moses, Madden & Eden Ritchie. She also leaves behind a sister, Joy Lepak, brother Charlie (Denise) Kolaszewski, several nieces, nephews and other family members. 

Though we are deeply saddened to see her go, we find solace in thinking of the incredibly joyful reunion in heaven between Monica and her beloved daughter, Nikki Leitch, who she has greatly missed for the past five years. Others who have passed on before Monica include her parents, brothers Bucky & Peter Kolaszewski and sister-in-law Linda. 

Funeral services will be held for Monica on Saturday, January 11th at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 3009 Bay Settlement Rd., Green Bay. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until the funeral mass at 11:00, with Abbot Gary Neville officiating. Burial will take place in a private service at a later date.

Our family wishes to thank Unity Hospice for their compassionate care in Monica’s final days.

“Farewell to our treasured matriarch, at the end of a life well-lived and the beginning of a rest well-deserved. May you always watch over us from heaven as you did on earth. We are all so blessed to have been loved by you.”