Obituary of Gregory M. Fabisiak

Of Waukesha, died peacefully at Seasons Hospice on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, at the age of 89. Greg was born to Michael and Catherine (nee Tomaszewski) Fabisiak in Plover, WI on November 19, 1922. He was the youngest of 12 children. At 18 Greg joined the CC Camp in Rib Mountain where he helped to plant trees. In 1942 Greg moved to Waukesha and worked at General Castings, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1985, after 43 years. On October 18, 1947 Greg married his sweetheart Eleanor E. Moore. They were married for 65 years when Eleanor passed away suddenly in November 2010. Greg and Eleanor loved to go dancing together and would take the dance floor with their many polkas. Greg also loved having a good time and whether he was hosting a party or not, and encouraged those around him to have a good time as well. In his free time, he loved to garden, especially flowers and vegetables; he even had a small plot of land for the wild animals to come and graze on. Greg was also an avid BINGO player and would venture out to Big Bend, Pewaukee and even Milwaukee to play, usually with Eleanor and his daughters. On the weekends Greg liked to go fishing, even ice fishing. Bowling was another activity that Greg enjoyed with his friends and family. After his retirement from General Castings, he babysat his two granddaughters, taking them to the park, pulling them on tractor rides and giving them milk and cookies for a snack. When his granddaughters were old enough to go to school, he went on several field trips with them and their classes and became a crossing guard for the City of Waukesha Police Department. His first corner was near Hawthorne Elementary but his longest stint was at the corners of East and Roberta Avenues at Whittier Elementary. The children and their parents absolutely loved "Mr. F." and even began calling him "Guardian Angel" and "The Protector" as the corners of East and Robert were, and remain, a very dangerous intersection. However, Greg had to retire from being a crossing guard when he was diagnosed with a severe case of macular degeneration. Greg stated, "I won't put my children in danger!" Because of Greg's great work and dedication to the children, the Waukesha Police Department honored him with an Award of Excellence, thanking him for protecting the city's children. He was a frequent McDonald's patron and made many special friends there. Most of the employees and regular customers knew him, and they would carry on conversations, even if they hadn't met before. He loved going to McDonald's to be around friends and an extended "family" that reached out to many of the employees who had lost or didn't have a "grandpa" figure. He cared for them as his own! He is survived by his loving daughter, Mary Ann (David) Idleman, his granddaughters, Melissa (Nick) Henriksen and Miranda Idleman, and by his great-grandson, Braden Henriksen. He is also survived by sisters-in-law, Adeline and Evie Fabisiak, Donna (Moore) (Tom) Sambs and Angie (Herb) Katzner, as well as many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. Greg was preceded in death by his wonderful wife, Eleanor, in 2010 and his precious daughter, Margaret "Muggs," in 2007, his parents, and 11 brothers and sisters. The visitation for Greg will be held from 4:00PM until the time of the 6:00PM funeral service on Friday, August 31, 2012, at the Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, WI 53188. Deacon John D'Alessio will be officiating. Entombment will be held at 9:00AM on Saturday, September 1, at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Waukesha (please meet at the cemetery). Greg's family would like to thank Dr. Timothy Wassenaar and his staff at the ProHealth Regional Cancer Center. They'd also like to thank the staff and Deacon John at Seasons Hospice for all of their love and support throughout the last weeks of Greg's life.