Mary Catherine Rybarcyk

Mary C. Rybarcyk Obituary

Mary C. Rybarcyk (née Dobrowski), 98, of Elyria, passed away on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at St. Therese of Westlake.

Born in Elyria, Ohio, on September 28, 1928, Mary graduated from Elyria High School. She was a member of Holy Cross Church in Elyria, where she served with the Altar Rosary Society and PTA, and most recently belonged to St. Agnes Catholic Church in Elyria. She was also a member of the United Polish Club of Elyria and served with its Ladies Auxiliary.

In her younger years, Mary worked at her family’s grocery store, Dobrowski’s South End Food Market. On September 3, 1951, she married her loving husband, Walter Rybarcyk. Over the years, she also worked at Empire Spring, Worthington Ball, and the Lorain County Administration Building. For several years after retiring, she volunteered weekly at the Elyria Hospitality center.

Mary was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She enjoyed gardening, mowing the grass, shoveling snow, playing bingo, traveling to Las Vegas with her husbandand taking trips to the casino with her sisters. She was also a devoted fan of the Cleveland Indians.

In November 2009, Mary was a contestant on the Ohio Lottery’s TV game show Cash Explosionwhere she won a very cool five-figure cash prize.Mary’s love of chocolate was known far and wide. She never met a piece she didn’t like and taught her children well especially son Ron.

She is survived by her sons, Ronald and Lawrence (Joyce); her daughters, Jean (Dave) and Judith; her grandchildren, Eric Nejman (Shana), Jason Nejman (Kayla), Kevin Nejman, and Emily Rybarcyk; and her great-grandchildren, Liam Nejman and Annastyn Nejman and sister Ann Bycynski.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter; her brothers, Ernest, Joseph, and Stanley Dobrowski; her sisters, Theresa Dyczkowski, Sophie Golski, Pauline Cyran, Stella Majka, Verna Sabo, and Genevieve Bedock; and her parents, John and Josephine Dobrowski (née Kruszewski).

Visitation will be held at Laubenthal Mercado Funeral Home, located on Chestnut Ridge Road at State Route 57 in Elyria, on Thursday, October 8, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 9, at 11:00 a.m.at St. Agnes Church in Elyria, followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery in Elyria.

The family wishes to extend their sincere and heartfelt thanks to caregiver Amanda, skilled nurses and caregivers Robyn and Laura, along with companionship providers Kathy and Elsa for their caring compassionate interactions with Mary at various times during the last three years. We were truly blessed and grateful for their presence and the positive difference each of them made in our lives.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hospitality Center, 244 Third St., Elyria, OH 44035 or Saint Agnes Table of Plenty Food Pantry, 611 Lake Ave., Elyria, OH 44035.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.laubenthalmercado.com