Barbara Bozena Banasikowski Smith

Barbara Bozena Banasikowski Smith Born September 18, 1948 in Malmo, Sweden. Died March 15, 2018. Preceded in death by parents the late Col Edmund G. Banasikowski and Sophie (Zofia) Banasikowski, as well as her brother Richard Banasikowski, and aunts and uncles. Survived by her loving husband, Leon and son, Gregory Smith (Tina Edwards), grandchildren Kayla Smith (Patrick Montgomery), Krystal Smith and Michael Smith. Great granddaughter Adelynn Montgomery. Sister in law Ewa Banasikowski. Nieces Julia (Banasikowski) Weir (Krystian Weir) and Monica Banasikowski. Great newphew Adrian Weir. Cousins Waldemar (Janina) Banasikowski, Andrzej (Miroslawa) Banasikowski, Katowice, Poland, Maria (Roman) Racz and Marek (Bozena) Brzozowski, Suwalki, Poland, Rosemarie (Don) Hubert, Helen Gardner, Ronald (Lisl) Brzozowski, John (Sharyl) Brzozowski, Joyce (Bob) Keskey in the United States and many other relatives and friends in Poland, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Michigan and Florida. Born in exile in Malmo, Sweden with a father who was a Polish WWII hero and a mother who was a concentration camp survivor, she was brought to America, raised in Milwaukee's Polonia. As a child, she developed a love for ballet and Polish Folk dance from her mother. She also developed a passion for Poland's freedom from her father. The rest of her life was dedicated to Polish culture and freedom, dance and her Catholic faith. She received a BFA in dance at UWM, her MA in dance at Univ of Illinois, danced professionally with Milw Ballet Co., Operetta Carnival, Limon Dance Co., studied ballet at Warsaw Opera and Polish ethnic dance at Univ of Maria Curie Sklodowska, Lublin, Poland. She taught dance at UWM, U of Illinois, Mich State University, Olivet College, Albion College and Oslo, Norway. She is listed in Who's Who in Paris, Warsaw and USA. She founded Greater Lansing Ballet Co. in 1990. She has taught nationally and internationally. She developed exchange programs with Gdansk Polish State Ballet and Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, Russia. She taught at a teacher's seminar in 2007 at Vaganova where she was the only non-Russian teaching. Barbara has been involved in Regional Dance America for 22 years. She has held the offices of Treasurer, Vice President, and currently President of RDA Mid-States Region. Barbara is currently President of Capitol Area Lace Makers, a Bobbin Lace organization in Lansing, MI. She is also President of Polish National Alliance Lodge 1360 in Lansing. Barbara served as scheduler for St Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing, MI, scheduling all E.M.'s, altar servers and lectors. She is a sacristan and an E.M. at St Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Spring Hill, Fl. Barbara received numerous awards including awards from the Mayor of Lansing, the Governor of Michigan, the Glen Taggart Award for International Understanding from MSU, Michigan Artserve Creative Artist Grant, Dance Teacher of the Year in Michigan. She is a 2009 Artserve Michigan Community Arts Leadership Academy Fellow. Three of Barbara's former dancers have become Artistic Directors of their own ballet companies. Visitation on Friday, March 23, 2018, 9-10:45 AM at St Mary Catholic Faith Community (9520 W Forest Home Ave, Hales Corners, WI) with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 AM. Interment at St Adalbert Cemetery.