Ella Straka

Ella L. Straka, 67, of Winter Haven, FL passed away unexpectedly while on vacation at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT on Friday, August 3, 2018. Ella was born October 19, 1950 in Kenosha, WI to Franklyn and Castella (Petersen) Sell. Ella was a graduate of TF South HS Class of 1968. She then went on to receive her BSN from UIC School of Nursing.
On December 7, 1990, she was united in marriage to Stephen Straka at St. Mary's Church in Riverside, IL. Following their marriage, they resided in Berwyn, IL and then Naperville, IL until moving to Winter Haven, FL in 2016.
Ella was a registered nurse at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, IL. She held the position of head nurse in the Emergency Department for several years.
Ella enjoyed training dogs, traveling and watching HGTV. She also loved reading so much that it could often be difficult to distract her from her Kindle. Ella had countless hours of fun playing card and board games with her best friend, Pat Nordhaus. Ella was extremely fond of her pets, and developed an extremely close bond with her service dog, Essie, who will remain with the family due to her advanced age.
Ella adored her family, and was devoted to her husband, children and grandchildren. Ella is survived by her loving family: husband, Stephen; children: Eugeniya (Arkady) Grenader, Lydia (Casey) Preuser, Anastasia, Paul and Charles; by her grandchildren: Olyvia, Casey, Jr., Andrew and Charles; by her sibling, Roberta Sell of Winter Haven, FL; by her in-laws, Paul and Penelope Straka; by brothers and sisters - in-law: Christopher Straka (Debi James), Philip (Joane) Straka and Peter (Christine) Straka. She is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Ella was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law, Alan Sell.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 11:00 AM at St. Dominic Catholic Church, 2133 N. 22nd St., Sheboygan, WI, with Fr. Phil Reifenberg as the Celebrant. Burial will follow at Wildwood Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit with the family at the church on Saturday, August 18, 2018 from 9:00 AM until the time of mass.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to an organization of your choice or make a donation to Barking Angels service dog organization in in Ella's name. Donations may be mailed directly to Barking Angels at 7644 W. Dickens Avenue, Elmwood Park, IL 60707.