July 13, 1931 – February 6, 2026
Ann Jessica Godula, 94, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, passed away on Friday, February 6, 2026.
Ann was the beloved wife of patent attorney Edmund Andrew Godula. They were married in Holy Redeemer Church in Evergreen Park, Illinois, in 1961 and were happily wed until Edmund’s untimely death in 1977.
Ann is survived by her son, Edmund Joseph Godula; daughter, Genie Godula Parrack (m. James Parrack), and grandchildren, Jonah Parrack and Zoe Parrack.
Born Anna Dryjanski on July 13, 1931, in Chicago, to Chester and Anna (Gorzynski) Dryjanski (later changed to Dryan), she was the oldest of four children, including Chester Dryan (d. 2020), Priscilla Swartz, and Judy Johnson. She is also survived by her beloved cousins, Louise and Florianne Rzeszewski, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Ann graduated from Visitation High School in Chicago in 1949 and attended Rosary College in River Forest before getting her Bachelor of Science in English Literature from Loyola University. She was the first in her family to earn a college degree. Ann also earned teaching and paralegal certificates and worked several different jobs in her lifetime. She was a secretary at McGraw Publishing Company and for the Dominican Fathers (St. Jude Shrine), a teacher at the Brentano School in Chicago, a legal secretary and paralegal for several lawyers, and an executive assistant for Cenegenics in Las Vegas. She was also an active volunteer throughout her life, including her time as an officer of The Advocates Society Auxiliary.
Ann had an adventurous spirit, sailing to Europe in the mid-1950s and touring several countries. Many years later, she hopped on the back of her daughter’s motor scooter in Paris, saying, “I’ll try anything once.”
Ann was an excellent cook and hostess, as anyone who attended one of her many delicious and entertaining meals would attest. She was a lover of culture, playing the accordion, piano, and harp,and enjoying concerts, the theatre, and the opera. She was a long-time member of the Great Books club and was a great reader herself, often taking part in the Kenosha Public Library book club.
Ann was a devout Polish Catholic and a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She was a thirty-year resident of Kenosha and took particular joy in reading the Kenosha News every morning with her coffee. She was a volunteer at the Kenosha Historical Society for several years, where she helped clip and arrange the obituaries. She would be proud to see this obituary saved there as well to mark her long and full life.
Private Interment will be held in Maryhill Catholic Cemetery, Niles, Il.
Gathering
DATE:
February 15, 2026, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Piasecki Funeral Home
3720 39th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53144
https://www.kenoshafuneralhome.com
Memorial Service
DATE:
February 15, 2026, at 3:00 pm
Piasecki Funeral Home
3720 39th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53144
