Adele Jay

Adele Jay died peacefully March 14, 2004, in the company of her beloved son-in-law and caregiver Mike Hooton.

Adele’s parents Anna and Louis Proszek came from Poland in the early 1900’s to build a better life for themselves. When Adella (Adele) was born on Dec. 9, 1918, her parents spoke only Polish. In elementary school, Adele learned to speak English. Each night after dinner she would give English lessons to her parents, and in this way they all learned to speak the language of their new home.

Adele met her future husband Bob at the University of Minnesota. When Bob graduated and joined the Navy they kept their relationship going through letters and when his ship would be in a US port, Adele would travel to meet him. Bob was on the USS Maryland in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. The first chance he had to get word out that he was alive, he sent Adele a telegram telling her to meet him in Bremerton so they could be married.

They remained happily married and best friends until Bob’s death in 1983. During their marriage, Bob and Adele experienced great sadness through miscarriages and two children who died at birth, then found great happiness when they adopted their daughter Valerie in 1955. Adele gladly gave up her “working” career to be a full-time mother, school and church volunteer, Bluebird leader and block parent.

Adele was thrilled when Valerie and her husband Mike had children. Heather and Jason were blessed to grow up close to their Grandma ‘del and be influenced by her gentle kindness. When her great-granddaughter was born, Adele was ecstatic. Brienna was lucky enough to have 11 years with her Great-grandma ‘del. Valerie tells the story of her mother:

“When I was a kid, I remember hearing other women talking bad about their friends and acquaintances — but I never heard a single bad word about anyone from my own mother. Not when I was little and not as an adult. She was always kind and thoughtful of others. Mom was always ready to share her talents with me: cooking, gardening and sewing together gave us many special hours throughout my life. She was brave, too. Terribly afraid of heights, she still flew and took the hotel rooms with the overlooking-the-city view. When Multiple Sclerosis began to slow her down she did not give in, just adapted. When cancer entered her body, she faced it head on and won, and when MS had taken away much of her memory and all of her mobility; she still remained thankful to be with us and accepted her situation with grace and dignity. She will always be my hero.”

Adele is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Valerie and Mike Hooton; granddaughter and great-granddaughter Heather and Brienna Petersen and grandson Jason Hooton. A private family memorial will be held on the beach near the ocean she loved so much.