Blaskovich, Mary Drennen 1921-2012

BLASKOVICH, HATCH

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 1/1/2018 at 13:26:58

In loving memory of Mary Blaskovich
Date of Birth : Sep 5 1921

Place of Birth : Des Moines, Iowa

Date Deceased : September 18th 2012

Place of Death : Spring, Texas

Stubborn, cantankerous, and independent, Mary Drennen Blaskovich lived a full life of over 91 years. Mary was born an only child in Osceola, Iowa to Lester and Lenora Drennen. She was raised in Des Moines, Iowa near the corner of 38th Street and Cottage Grove.

She and her husband William Charles Blaskovich raised a family in a house on the corner of 41st and Woodland, then retired to Carlsbad, California and then to Plano, Texas to be with their children's families. She attended public school in Des Moines at Hubbell, Callanan, and Roosevelt schools, graduating from high school in 1939. A woman ahead of her time, Mary enrolled at Iowa State College but left after only a couple of quarters, switching to the University of Iowa, where she graduated with a degree in sociology and pursued an advertising career.

Mary's first job was advertising manager at Killian's Department Store and she also wrote for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Wanting to see the big city, Mary and her best friend Kelly left Iowa and moved to New York City during World War II. She later returned home to work for her Father's publishing and printing business in Des Moines.

Not long after moving back to Des Moines, Mary met her future husband, Bill, at a Young Democrats party. Their courtship took interesting turns. Bill comes from a big Catholic family with parents from Croatia while Mary was from a small Methodist family of Irish and English descent.

Mary and Bill dated for a few years and, after saving $100, the two were married in Des Moines and honeymooned in Omaha. Mary continued her successful advertising career, working for Better Homes and Gardens, while Bill worked for General Motors. Mary started an antiquing club with friends, called Questers, one of her favorite hobbies.

She also designed, painted, and decorated trunks and screens. Mary and Bill raised a family in Des Moines. She always expected her kids to excel and instilled her own sense of independence in each of them.

At one point, Mary served as a juror on a murder trial and wrote an unpublished manuscript about the experience. We're still looking for the manuscript, but it's destined to be a best-seller. After Bill retired, Mary and Bill traveled the world on freighter ships, and they kept a huge map in their living room with pins and yarn connecting their many adventures around the globe.

The two explored to Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America, from Macchu Piccu to the Nile to the Great Wall of China and Calcutta, India. They ventured into territories thought to be unfit for tourists, bringing home treasures like hand-sculpted figurines and small gifts from indigenous peoples. One of their favorite things to do was bring their grandkids treasures from faraway countries.

Mary was plagued by arthritis for much of her adult life and paralyzed for the last 10 years due to a degenerative condition with her back bone. She fought Alzheimer's during the last five years of her life and passed on peacefully in her sleep early Tuesday morning, September 18.

Mary is survived by her loving husband, William; two children, Mark Blaskovich and Jane Hatch; four grandchildren, John and Sarah Blaskovich, Emily and William Hatch; and one great-grandchild, Ava Blaskovich.

A funeral Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Monday, September 24, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W. Spring Creek Pkwy., Plano, Texas 75023 with The Reverend Bruce Bradley as celebrant. A reception will follow in the Parrish Hall. ~ The Des Moines Register Tues 25 Sept 2012.