Jeffrey Thomas Rajkowski, 68
Jeffrey Thomas Rajkowski, 68, passed peacefully into the arms of his Savior on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, surrounded by his loving wife and children.
Dad was born to Tony Rajkowski and Margie (Bemboom) Rajkowski on Sept. 5, 1953, and grew up on a dairy farm in Mayhew Lake, Minnesota. As a middle child of seven, he learned how to work hard and fend for himself against three older brothers. He often told stories alongside his brothers of the adventures and altercations that gave the Rajkowski brothers a reputation. One such memory was the time Dad tried to Tarzan his way up a barn loft rope just as fast as his little brother, Tim, was untying it at the top intentionally dropping Dad to a broken arm. Dad graduated from Sauk Rapids High School in 1971 and then continued his education at SCSU, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in photo engineering technology in 1976. In his yearbook, he was dubbed “Mr. Irresistible.” Dad loved photography and canoeing and took many beautiful photos of his Yukon River travels, and the animals and plant life of the wild, northwest mountains. Shortly after managing a photography shop in Cambridge, Minnesota, Dad packed up his Ford Pinto and adventured out to Montana where he got a job on Big Mountain. It was 1980.
In Whitefish, Dad met the love of his life, Debra Dodd, a beautiful artist who had been traveling through town from the East Coast. They were married Oct. 9, 1983. Dad convinced Mom to set down roots and together they raised seven children in Coram. Dad worked for Glacier National Park as a seasonal employee for over 40 years and loved every minute of being close to the mountains and his co-worker friends whom he worked alongside. Dad loved to make people laugh over and over again even if it was the same joke. On any given day, you might hear him say, “If a chicken and a half laid an egg and a half, in a day and a half, how many pancakes would it take to shingle a doghouse?” In case you were wondering, the answer is 29. Dad loved so many things — the mountains of Glacier National Park, early morning whitetail hunts, watching his kids and grandkids play sports, cooking Polish dogs for family cookouts, organizing family singing, and setting up tournament brackets for family games of basketball, badminton or cornhole. He also enjoyed creating his own special trophies for those of us who shot the biggest buck in the fall or had the best March Madness bracket in the spring.
Left behind to honor Dad and remember his love and laughter are his wife of 38 years, Debra Rajkowski, and their seven children, Sarah (Greg) Louden, Ruben (Eliza) Rajkowski, Emil (Becca) Rajkowski, Hannah (Josh) Bowerman, Isaac (Jordan) Rajkowski, Maggie (Zach) Falk, and Priscilla (Chad) Frasier. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, Brinkley, Kenton, Silas, Jackson, Ember, Asher, Loveah, Everly, Maverick, Aiden, Desmond, Sebastian, Elias, and Rosalie. Dad is also survived by his siblings, Bob (Sandy) Rajkowski, Joe (Teresa) Rajkowski, Mike (Sue) Rajkowski, Tim (Gloria) Rajkowski, Joanne (Greg) Marshall and sister-in-law Carol (Sinotte).
Dad was preceded in death by his parents, Tony and Margie Rajkowski, his nephew Jared Rajkowski, sister-in-law JoAnne (Saldana) Rajkowski, and his brother Ed Rajkowski.
Dad loved his Savior Jesus Christ, his wife, kids, grandkids and friends with all of his heart and will be dearly missed by many.
A memorial service will be held in his honor on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. at Central Bible Church, 902 1st Ave E., Kalispell MT 59901.
The Rajkowski family would like to extend our gratitude to the staff at Logan Health and to all those who supported us with prayer and love during Dad’s last few weeks. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.