Mary Pauline Worshek

A funeral service will be held Friday, April 11, 2014 at 1:30 PM at First Lutheran Church of West Okoboji. Mary Pauline Worshek was born on a farm in Valley City, North Dakota to Asa Lloyd Sampson and Serena Madsen Sampson. Though her first name was Mary, after her grandmother, most called her Pauline, some called her Polly, her children called her Mom, and her grandkids called her Nanny. Her children loved her. Her grandkids adored her. Pauline loved people. She anchored all family gatherings. She loved telling stories, vividly recalling details and always speaking with a smile. She was an avid bridge player, and loved crossword and Sudoku puzzles. She taught her children and grandchildren to play board games, cards and dominoes. She kept up with sports - especially NBA basketball. Pauline loved to laugh. She was easy going, and had a great sense of humor. Some of her favorite vacations were traveling to see her kids and grandkids - Calgary, AB Canada; Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Ensenada, Mexico; Central and Southern California; and numerous bus excursions across the country with her sister and friends. She was never judgmental and always accepted people for who they were. Born at the start of the Roaring Twenties, she witnessed history unfold first-hand. As a child, she attended a one-room school through elementary. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, she moved with her family to Southern Minnesota to live on her grandparents' farm. She graduated from Jackson High School. As a young woman, she lived in Santa Monica, California where she worked for Howard Hughes on the Spruce Goose. She returned to the Midwest and started her family in Jackson, Minnesota. She had four children: Linda, Dave, Jo, and Judy. When her first grandchild, Courtney, was born, Nanny traveled to California and lived with Courtney for her first six months. This formed a deep bond. One of her greatest joys was to hold Courtney's first child. She was well loved by her family and numerous friends and will be dearly missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her daughter Linda Worshek; sisters Lucille Sampson, Jeannette Hanson, and Rose Ann Raasch; and her brother Ellsworth Sampson. She is survived by her son David (Cyndi) Worshek of Aurora, MN; daughter Jo Mitrak of Cape Cod, MA; daughter Judy (Bill) Ray of Magnolia, TX; Grandchildren Courtney (Allen) Loconte, Andrew Mitrak, Danielle Mitrak, Nathan Worshek, and Emma Worshek; Great Grandchildren Londynn and Sterling Loconte; sister Lorraine Theophilus; sister-in-law Marge Sampson; and many nieces and nephews.