Cara Ann (Czajka) Roczniak
Cara Ann (Czajka) Roczniak, 70, of Lewisburg, WV, formerly of Cocoa Beach, FL, died after complications from a brief illness at CAMC in Charleston, WV, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
Cara was born in Middletown, CT, and was raised and attended school in Cocoa Beach, FL. In 1977, she moved to West Virginia, where she remained for the rest of her life. She raised two children and established a homestead on Miller Mountain with her former husband, Joseph Roczniak, also of Lewisburg. Although she loved the mountains, she always considered Florida to be her home and traveled back and forth extensively to be with family.
She was very proud of her Florida ancestry and loved to tell stories about her family, Swedish immigrants, who were among the first settlers in Sanford, FL. Her great-grandfather, Nels Stenstrom, established the first dairy farm in central Florida in 1877 and scouted land for General Henry Sanford to establish citrus groves along the St. Johns River.
Cara was a preschool teacher at Ronceverte Presbyterian Church for many years, where she was affectionately known as “Mrs. R”. Her love for children continued after her teaching years with roles at the Children’s Home Society of WV, the Girl Scouts, and with her two grandsons, Moses and Sebastian. Cara provided many years of love and generous support to her family, both near and far.
Over the past several years, Cara took it upon herself to keep the roads along Rt. 60 in the Richlands community clean. Despite being partially disabled from a back injury, she managed to collect over 4,000 pounds of litter for the Department of Highways and was awarded numerous volunteer awards from the WV Adopt-A-Highway program.
Cara was an adventurous antique collector and dealer for many years in the Lewisburg area. She always enjoyed her flea market family, where she made many lasting friendships throughout the years. She was also an avid gardener and plant enthusiast, and kept her yard in impeccable condition, interests that she instilled into her two children.
Working up until the day she was hospitalized, Cara was fiercely independent. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a huge heart.
She is survived by her son, Jacob Roczniak, his wife, Julie, and their son, Sebastian of Princeton, MA; and her daughter, Jessica Roczniak-Grist, her husband, Paul, and their son, Thomas Moses of Lewisburg, WV.
She is also survived by brother, David Czajka and wife, Tracy, of Merritt Island, FL; sisters, Mary Kay Odio, Beth Clack and husband, Lomar, of Satellite Beach, FL, and Jackie Golden of Brevard, NC.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Peter Czajka; sister, Nancy Czajka; bother-in-law, Cesar Odio; and her parents, Edward Peter Czajka and Ruth Adelaide (Stenstrom) Czajka.
The family will receive visitors for a memorial reception March 11 from 5-8 p.m. in the Old Stone Room at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, WV. There will be a family Mass preceding the reception at St. Charles Catholic Church in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
In lieu of flowers, please keep the earth clean and the animals fed.
Donations may be made in Cara’s honor and sent to the Greenbrier County Humane Society or a wildlife charity of your choice.
Please send online condolences by visiting www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com.
Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in Lewisburg is in charge of arrangements.
