Claudia Trzebiatowski

Claudia Trzebiatowski knew the burden of filling in for an employee missing at the West Bend library. That’s why when she got leukemia she resigned instead of taking long-term leave.

When family members would visit her at the hospital, she seemed more concerned with them.

"Go home, you’ve been here long enough. Go take care of your family," said Becky Gaynor, Claudia’s only daughter. "She would want us to carry on with our lives and do what we feel we need to do."

Even in illness, Claudia was thinking of others, which is what people will remember about the West Bend resident who touched so many lives.

Claudia passed away on Saturday from complications from leukemia treatment and an infection. She was 57.

"She was energetic and she loved to help other people. That’s how she lived her life, doing things for other people," Gaynor said.

"Claudia was an incredible person, a very giving person, a loving person. She couldn’t do enough for anyone, and she fought a really tough battle," said Char Sanders, a family friend for 25 years.

Claudia’s battle began in 1996 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it, and she beat an insurance company in court to cover health care costs. She was cancer-free for nine years. A drug she took, however, carried a 1-percent risk of causing leukemia, and she was diagnosed with that in August 2005.

Claudia beat leukemia, too, before it returned this June. Then she beat it again, as the first at Froedtert to use a newly approved chemotherapy drug. Months later, complications from the treatment, including a stem cell transplant, and an infection were too much to overcome.

Nothing, however, overcame her spirit - "Just the spirit she had, a spirit that can’t be described," Sanders said.

After her bout with breast cancer, Claudia realized every day was a gift.

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad," was her favorite Bible verse, said Jack, Claudia’s husband.

"She just enjoyed life," he said.

Claudia got to see both of her children get married. She saw both of them have children, though she had "rented" grandchildren from friends before, Gaynor said.

"It’s never easy, but the one thing I kept holding onto is it’s easier now than it would have been nine years ago," said her son, Jeff.

Claudia tried to make it easier for everyone. At Froedtert, she would approach groups of people she didn’t know and talk with them and ask if they wanted her to pray with them, Jack said.

"I remember mom making the statement several times: ‘I just don’t want to be a burden to anybody else,’" Jeff said.

She was anything but.

On Saturday, a bone marrow transplant patient Claudia had talked with returned to the hospital. He told the Trzebiatowskis what an inspiration Claudia was to him, Gaynor said.

"We always say she kept the post office and card companies in business," Jack said. Twelve to 15 cards per month went out. She had family bring her list to the hospital so she could keep up with it.

She became well known in the community through volunteer work and other activities.

Claudia was one of the faces of West Bend’s Relay For Life, an annual fundraiser to fight and treat cancer, and she and Jack did public relations for it. She participated in the Reach To Recovery program to support and mentor cancer patients. She was active at Holy Angels Catholic Church in West Bend. She mentored an unmarried pregnant woman and helped her ultimately choose to have her baby. She and Jack went through pastoral ministry to be able to administer communion and pray with people. She was a CCD teacher, involved in Girl Scouts, worked at YMCA’s Tot Time and the library, and volunteered as a 4-H leader.

Working with children was one of her passions, said Kandi O’Neil, 4-H youth development educator. Claudia worked with Cloverbuds, the youngest members, and greatly helped with the annual Celebrate Families event.

"Claudia really believed in helping others and really loved working with children, and anything she could do to help build their learning experience," she said. "She was very creative in what she designed and developed for children, and very inclusive, and always wanted the best for everyone involved. She’ll be missed."

When she got leukemia, library employees started a book for her, in which patrons would sign it and write messages.

"It’s more than colleagues ... she was the kind of person, if you meet her, you give her a hug," said Michael Tyree, library director. "The word indefatigable could describe her energy."

She talked with many patrons, drafting them onto her Relay For Life team or just making conversation, making for a positive atmosphere.

"Sometimes, Claudia would treat it as her living room," Tyree said.

The way she left the library - not forcing her job to be held open - is indicative of her character.

"That’s another case in point of Claudia being considerate," Tyree said.

Her last couple of days in the hospital are also telling. Up to 80 people stopped by to see her.

"The nurses and the people on the floor said they don’t remember seeing that many visitors," Jack said.

"She was loved by a lot of people. She touched many lives in town," Sanders said.

It will now be Claudia’s turn to drop in. Gaynor recently learned she is expecting another child in April.

"She’ll just see the baby from a different perspective," she said.

Her family and friends will miss her, "but we’re also going to carry her with us as we go through the rest of our lives," Gaynor said.

"She’s always said that God’s got a plan for me to continue helping people," Jack said.