Wayne G. Sirek

Wayne G. Sirek, age 73, of Ottawa, passed away Sunday, June 12th at his residence with his loving family by his side.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 17th at St. Columba Church with the Reverend David M. Kipfer celebrating.  Military rites by the U.S. Army and Ottawa Veterans Honor Guard will follow.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. Friday at the church.  Gladfelter Funeral Home is honored to serve the Sirek family.

Wayne was born March 11, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, a son of George Charles and Isabelle (Zimecki) Sirek.  He married Elizabeth Ziemniak December 17, 1966 in East Chicago, Indiana.  Wayne is survived by his loving wife, Elizabeth; his children, Katherine (Ronald) Bruck of Yorkville, Karole (Rob) Wilson of Ottawa, Patricia (Kevin) Cubstead of Yorktown, Virginia and Wayne (Jean) Sirek II of Ottawa.  He also leaves sixteen grandchildren; a brother, Donald Sirek of Oswego; and two sisters, Marlene Sliauter of Georgia and Cynthia Smith of Aurora.  Wayne was preceded in death by a son, Matthew Sirek.

Wayne was a member of St. Columba Church in Ottawa.  He had been employed as an electrician with Local 461 in Aurora.  He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army.  Wayne spent a considerable amount of time doing volunteer work at Starved Rock State Park.  He had a passion for bicycling and had in fact built his own bicycle using spare parts accumulated from his enjoyment of computer shopping.  Wayne was a man who loved to tinker in his shop and could build most anything he put his mind to.  He was quite proud of the fact he purchased a used snow blower and was able to modify it to fit on his garden tractor and even fashioned a protective shield to keep himself dry.  The knowledge he had gleaned over the years had made him the “Answer Man” for anyone with questions about do-it-yourself projects.  Wayne dearly loved his family and cherished every moment with them.  Memorial contributions in Wayne’s honor are suggested to the Starved Rock State Park Foundation, St. Columba Church Building Fund or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.