Czeslawa Ada Podeszek Zodrow Shuler

Czeslawa Ada Podeszek Zodrow Shuler, 91, born in Warsaw, Poland July 20, 1927, passed away peacefully in her sleep to be with her Lord and Savior on October 30, 2018, at Houston Hospice, Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX, surrounded by her family and friends. She resided at St. Dominic Village in Houston, TX.

Ada was orphaned at age 12 when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, she ran messages between members of the Polish Resistance until the Germans captured her.  During the final year of the war, she was forced to work in a German bomb factory while in a women’s POW Camp. During her imprisonment, she sometimes dropped hairpins into the mechanical assembly lines that produced German bombs to interrupt production. Although she was placed in solitary confinement when caught, she often said it was worth it to do her part to slow down the Nazis. The American Army army liberated the Camp in 1945, and soon after she was working in the U.S. military offices in Heidelberg, Germany, where she met and married her first husband, Leon Zodrow. Shortly afterward, they immigrated to the United States.

Ada and Leon raised their two sons in Rosenberg, TX, where they lived for 23 years and belonged to Holy Rosary Church. Once her children reached high school, she continued her own education by obtaining a BS and MS in nursing. She firmly believed a woman could be both a good mother and have a rewarding career. As an early feminist, Ada was a role model for many of her peers. She began her professional career at the Richmond State School in Richmond, TX and subsequently worked for the State of Texas in Austin, first inspecting nursing homes and then writing procedural manuals for state nursing home inspectors. Her career was filled with both personal and professional accomplishments. Ada retired in 1992, at which time she and her husband, Leon, returned to Houston. Leon passed in 1993 after a long life as a loving and dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. She later met and married her second husband, James Shuler, and they resided in Pearland, TX, where they attended the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church until his death in 2015.

Ada came to St. Dominic Village in 2016, living first in independent living and then in assisted living. She enjoyed attending Mass as well as her long chats with Father John and Father Roy. She loved to play bridge and bingo and much of her time was spent doing just that while living at St. Dominic’s. Ada loved to read on a wide variety of topics, ranging from Polish history to current events to American politics. She also developed an interest in baseball, starting by taking her sons to Houston Buffs minor league baseball games in the late 1950s and then becoming a fan of the Houston Astros all the way through their first World Series championship last year.

Ada is survived by two loving sons and their families, John and Helena Zodrow and granddaughters Nicole and Valerie Zodrow, all of Houston, TX; George and Dorey Zodrow of Houston, TX; granddaughter Laura Zodrow of Denver, CO; granddaughter Katherine Zodrow-Prieto and her husband Dario Prieto of Butte, MT and Ada’s great-grand daughter Ophelia Zodrow-Prieto; and a grand niece Danuta and her husband Jerzy Zalesinski of Chazy, NY. Ada’s parents Jerzy and Bronislawa Lewandowska Zodrow of Warsaw, Poland, preceded her in death, as did her first husband of 43 years, Leon Ferdynand Zodrow, and her second husband of 17 years, James Edward Shuler. Fond memories of Ada will remain in the hearts of her family and friends forever. Her granddaughter Nicole Zodrow has written a Haiku poem in memory of her Grandma Ada:

“What a life long lived

Lived a woman prevailing

Prevailing and loved.”

The family would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to Norma Serna and the staff of St. Dominic Village for the love and extraordinary care they showed to Ada every day. Also, the family is grateful to the staffs of both Memorial-Hermann Hospital and the Houston Hospice for the exceptional care they provided to Ada.

A Mass celebrating Ada’s well-lived life will be held at 2:00 pm in the Warren Chapel, with a reception following at 3:00 pm in Charlotte Hall, on Saturday, November 17, 2018, at St. Dominic Village, 2401 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77021. Ask the gate guard for directions to the Warren Chapel and parking upon arrival.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made to Social Motion Skills in Houston, TX; Their website is socialmotionskills.org.