Lake Villa woman, a Nazi prison camp survivor, dies at 91

As a young woman, Stella Wiaderny survived more than four years in German prison camps. The experience, relatives say, gave her a strong character and value for life.

A native of Poland, Wiaderny while in her 20s, was imprisoned when the Nazis invaded. Confined at Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and Sachsenhausen, she knew the horrors of the era.

She met her future husband, Stanley, in a displaced persons camp just after that grim time and rather than avoid the issue, used the experience as a lesson for their three children.

"They instilled work ethic into us. They made us kind. They made us independent. They made us giving. And they made us strong," said daughter, Christine Karasinski.

Stella Wiaderny, who moved from Chicago to Lake Villa in about 1970, died at home Thursday, Dec. 31.

Funeral services begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Ringa Funeral Home, 122 S. Milwaukee Ave. (Route 83), Lake Villa to Prince of Peace Church for a 10 a.m. Mass.

Her age officially is listed as 89 but she actually was 91, a result of a ruse. She was born in 1918 but told German authorities her birthday was April 20, 1920, thinking that by giving Adolf Hitler's birth date, she would be released.

Wiaderny had three aunts in the United States and in 1949, the fledgling family arrived at Ellis Island, N.Y. The couple settled in Chicago, found jobs and learned to speak English.

She worked for a time but mainly was a homemaker, her daughter said.

Rather than shun her past, Wiaderny freely discussed what happened, saying faith in God got her through. While in a prison camp, she lost sight in one eye when a piece of wood she was chopping lodged there.

"There were so many stories," Karasinski said. "There were many instances she was minutes away from being shot or executed."

Her mother refused to have the prison camp tattoo removed from her arm.

"She was proud of the fact that she was a survivor," Karasinski said. She and her husband have been receiving small stipends from the German government.

The experience also carried through in other ways.

"She made soup out of everything," Karasinski said. "My mother never threw away a scrap of food."

She described her mother as mischievous and a wonderful cook, who loved to dance and loved birds and flowers.

"In spite of what she went through when she was young, she managed to put it behind her and have a wonderful life," Karasinski said.

Survivors include her husband, Stanley; daughters Christine of Lake Villa and Theresa (Victor) McDonnell of Nevada; a son, George (Karen) of Elgin; two grandchildren; and, two great grandchildren.