Marguerite Joanne Hrabak

Marguerite Joanne Hrabak
Born March 27, 1930, died September 26, 2024 age 94 in Newbury, Oh. Predeceased by parents Joseph and Mia Jost, and husband Franklin. Survived by sister Marilyn Sogo of San Diego, children Michelle (Don) May, Christopher (Pat), Margo (former son-in-law Matt Pokopac), Karen (Charles) Walder, Karla (Glenn) Falk. Grandchildren Alexis (Ben) Davis, Aaron (Angie) May, Claire Pokopac, Simon Falk, Kurt Pokopac. Great Grandchildren Skyler (Kristi) Petkosek, Emily (Nikkita) Petkosek, Eleanor May, Caleigh Davis, Gabriel Davis, Mia Davis, great-great grandson Oliver Petkosek and many nieces and nephews across the country.
The eldest daughter of German emigrants, Marge excelled at science and math thanks to “STEM” training in her father’s small tool and die shop starting at the age of 13. She learned to read blueprints and run milling machines, lathes, and drill presses.
At Cleveland State University’s Fenn College of Engineering in 1947 Marge was one of only two women enrolled in a class of 700. Between classes she participated in Fenn’s cooperative education program working as a “calculator” for NASA and counting sales receipts for Cleveland’s Halle Brothers. Sitting alphabetically, Ms. Jost met Frank Hrabak, one of the GI’s in college, and they married. An outstanding student, she received her “woman’s badge” from the (male-only) engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi becoming the 250th woman to be recognized by the society. Leaving school before completing her studies in 1949 Marge worked in her father’s machine shop in order to save money for a house and put Frank through college. They DIY built their first house themselves (with no contractors) in the fifties. The sixties found them moving to the country, gutting and restoring a century home for their family of five children and the start of an engineering business from the basement.
Marge enrolled in night school to finish her engineering degree when her youngest child was in kindergarten. Armed with her Engineering Science degree in 1974, she had difficulty finding work as a woman engineer but landed a position at Lincoln Electric where she stayed for 10 years until retiring to run the family engineering business full time. The nineties found Marge & Frank overseeing the family farm from the four-story home she designed and built inside their 100-year-old dairy barn.
Marge’s interests included building innovations, science, history, buying and remodeling rental homes. She sang in the St. Helen’s choir for 50 years, was a member/Treasurer of the Newbury Kiwanis and held part time jobs with Newbury Zoning and BZA in her 80’s. She always amazed her family with her wide-ranging interests, knowledge, untiring work ethic and stamina.
Marge learned to knit at the age of four and rarely set down her needles for long. Known to fall asleep if she sat down with nothing to do, she could go to concerts or movies and knit complicated blanket or sweater patterns in the dark. Who knew this “knitting by Braille” would come in handy after her sight completely failed her in her later years? She still knit daily, entirely by feel, almost until her passing.
Visitation 10am followed by 11am funeral mass on Wednesday Oct 2 at St. Helen’s Catholic Church, 12060 Kinsman Road, Newbury Ohio. A special thanks to our wonderful caregiving team- Miriam, Doris, Nicole, Hannah and Marilyn. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Tau Beta Pi/The Engineering Honor Society (tbp.org), Habitat for Humanity International (habitat.org) or Guiding Eyes for the Blind (donate.guidingeyes.org).
Services entrusted to the Potti & Marc F. Burr Funeral Homes of Madison, Chardon, Painesville & Fairport Harbor. Obituary, online condolences and memorial gifts available at www.marcfburrfuneralhome.com .