Joan Kungis

Joan Kungis of Chicago, IL was summoned home on May 8, 2022. Born Jasia Matulis in Oharewicze, Poland (now Belarus) on December 1, 1936. She became a war refugee at the age of 2 and didn't have a real home until the age of 19-they resided in war camps. This war would take her familys' journey from Siberia, Uzbekistan, Persia, Karachi, India, Liverpool and eventually to the United States. Born one of six children and one of three that survived the ravages of war and starvation. She is survived by her husband and 2 children as well as her younger brother. She worked until the age of 82 wearing heels, lipstick and hair always done. After a lifetime of displacement, she only wanted to travel to her "happy" place- their beloved summer home in Sister Lakes Michigan. She enjoyed sunshine, watering her flowers and endless rides around the lake on the pontoon. She would rather have a meaningful conversation at her kitchen table than eat in a fancy restaurant. She could keep a secret and never repeat a word which made her everyone's confidant. She never smoked or drank and was elegant and ladylike but never boring. She loved to play cards and gamble and always seemed to win (which is where the no drinking probably came in handy.) She couldn't watch a telethon or see a child with cancer without crying and sending a donation. She loved cars, drove fast and blared her radio to Pink, Gwen Stefani, The Doobie Brothers and Pavarotti. She was a 25 year cancer survivor and 5 feet 3 inches of pure warrior- especially at the end. She was beautiful and generous - she was our heartbeat, our life and our love. She left us on Mother's Day in true Joannie style making a statement and joining her own mother. It was still your day and we celebrated a life well lived. We wear our pain like a badge of honor because it means we loved you the way you deserved to be loved. "And I will build an altar from the broken fragments of my heart" Service and interment private. Please omit flowers. To plant memorial tree in memory of Joan Kungis, please visit: https://www.palosgaidasfh.com/obituary/joan-kungis