Phyllis Jean Banasiak

Phyllis Jean Banasiak, age 91, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at Parkview Randallia Hospital.  Born on January 15, 1932, in Toldeo, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Roman and Genevieve (Bujalkowski) Pawelczak.  Phyllis spent her childhood in Toledo and was a graduate of Woodward High School.  In 1951, she married the love of her life, Jim Banasiak. They spent the next 50 years building their life together and watching their family grow.  Family was important to Phyllis, who spent most of her adult life as a homemaker, caring for her four children.  Phyllis's secretarial and bookkeeping skills also kept her busy outside the home, enabling the family to run its own grocery store for several years in Ohio. Later in life, it was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she loved to care for and spend time with.  Phyllis enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble, reading, and crafting.  She also was a great cook, providing her family with Polish dishes, especially during the holidays. She was known as “the peacemaker” of her family and reflected only kindness in her sweet, welcoming disposition. Faith was also important to Phyllis.  She was most recently a member of Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church and was devout in her beliefs. She will be dearly missed by family and friends alike.  Left to cherish her memory are her children, Ralph (Ellen) Banasiak, Becky (Mary Beth) Code, Bobbie (Richard Rucker) Castleman, and Rhonda (Mike) Cochran; grandchildren, Mike (Lauren) Banasiak, Tom (Anne) Banasiak, Justin (Stacey) Castleman, Lauren (Cristian) Vega, Calin (Grant) Ostler, and A.J. Cochran; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.  Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Banasiak; her parents; and her brother, Ralph Pawelczak.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at Saint Jude Catholic Church, 2130 Pemberton Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Burial will be at Catholic Cemetery, Fort Wayne following the funeral Mass.  Memorials can be written to Parkview Hospital Hospice in Phyllis’s name.  Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be left at www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com for the family.