Christine Roszkowski

Christine Roszkowski, 70, died at CHI St. Alexius on April 21, 2017. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Friday, April 28, at Church of St. Anne, 1321 Braman Ave., Bismarck. A time of reflecting and sharing will be from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Thursday, April 27, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck. Cremation has taken place. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bismarck. Krystyna Roszkowski was the first of four children born to Wanda and Jozef Roszkowski, Polish survivors of concentration camps, on April 13, 1947. She was born in a displaced persons camp in Wildflecken, Germany, and in September of 1949 she, along with her parents and baby brother, arrived in the United States. She lived in New Salem, ND, for her early years and then moved to Bismarck. It was here where a teacher told her that there was no such name in the US as Krystyna, and so she would be called Christine. Christine was an outstanding student throughout her schooling, and subsequently obtained her degree in teaching from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She was a French teacher in the public school systems in Bismarck. She worked very hard and she strived for perfection in her teaching and from her students. She was up grading papers and speaking with students many times into the night time. She was respected by other teachers and by her dedicated French Students and their parents. She was invested in her students, and traveled many times with her French Club students to Paris, and many times on her own. She enjoyed traveling very much. Christine’s father died when she was 14 years old. Her father’s death instilled a deep sense of devotion and support for her mother, whom Christine lived with for the majority of her mother’s life. Christine was very involved and spent a lot of time with her three older niece and nephews when they were young including attending First Communions, sporting events, school functions, etc., and a trip to Minneapolis with her niece. She also always loved animals. She had several cats and her dog Bogart was a good buddy to her during his lifetime. Christine was an intelligent, eccentric, beautiful woman. Unfortunately, her life was affected quite drastically and she was robbed of her full potential because of serious chronic physical and mental health problems. She saw her life filled with many challenges, as well as strained relationships with family and friends that loved and cared for her. She also benefitted from (and her family is thankful for) some very loving neighbors that helped her out in many ways over the years. She is survived by her siblings Richard (Juleen) Roszkowski, Dickinson; Mary Ann Herman, Forman, ND; and Jean (Nick) Neumann, Pittsboro, NC; and her nephews and nieces: Steve (Dawn) Herman, Bismarck, Jesse (Jen) Herman, Gwinner, ND, and Cora Schlinger, Bismarck, and Michelle Neumann, Durham, NC, and Lukas Neumann, Bismarck; and many grand-nieces and -nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jozef and Wanda Roszkowski; all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins in Poland. Rest in peace, dear Christine. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Christine’s name to the Central Dakota Humane Society, 2104 37th St, Mandan, ND 58554, or the Abused Adult Resource Center, 218 W Broadway Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501.