Lydia M. Kuczwara, 85, of Culver, passed away on April 8, 2023, in Crown Point, IN, with her loving daughter by her side.Lydia was born to Herman and Anna (Katschke) Hartmann on August 14, 1937, in Denham, IN. She attended St. Paul's Lutheran School and Walther Christian Academy in Melrose Park for church and school. There she met her middle school sweetheart and the love of her life, Harold W. Kuczwara. They married in Melrose Park, IL on September 20, 1958 and for 43 years made Elmhurst their family home including the childhood of their sons, Ken and Keith, and daughter, Robin. Lydia brought joy to the literal masses as an official Keebler elf, working in the test kitchens for 18 years, and joy to her family by bringing home those test batches. In 2004, she and Harold moved to Culver, Indiana to fully enjoy retirement. There she made the most of her close proximity to her grandchildren every chance she could.To know Lydia was to know you were loved. If you were lucky enough to have her as a mother or grandma, then you knew you won the lottery every second you had with her on this earth. For so many more in her extended family, she served as a second mom or a grandmother, loving each as her own. She taught all in her orbit patience in the face of stubbornness, that snowmen are acceptable decor at any time of year, and to slow down and watch the hummingbirds. She always put others' needs ahead of her own but lived a life that made everyone else want to put her first.Lydia is survived by her incredibly loved family - son, Keith, daughter, Robin (Arnie) Nichols, grandchildren, Nathan, Natalie, and Caleb, nephew, Glen (Pamela) Hallman, great nieces, Jennifer (Jeff) Mounce , Alison (Sam) Sustarich, great nephew, Nick, great great nephews, Andrew and William Sustarich, many, many additional nieces and nephews, as well as her longtime friends, Dennis and Donna Guerrieri, and many others.She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harold, her parents, sisters, Ann, Marie, Leona, Hannah, Ida, Bertha, and Kay, brothers, Henry, Herbert, Harold, and Albert, and son, Kenneth.A time of visitation will be held at the Odom Funeral Home, Culver, on Friday, April 14, 2023 from 3:00 - 7:00 PM EDT with Rev. Timothy Anderson officiating funeral services at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 430 Academy Road, Culver, on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 1:00 PM EDT. Burial will follow at Poplar Grove IOOF Cemetery. A potluck luncheon will be held following the burial in the church fellowship room bring a dish if you'd like.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Lydia's memory to Trinity Lutheran Church, Culver, the American Heart Association (www.heart.org), or to Rush Medical Center, with a designation to the "Heart and Vascular Institute" (https://www.rush.edu/giving/make-gift/rush-copley-make-gift).
