Mariann May (Grauer) Tresnak

Mariann May (Grauer) Tresnak

Cedar Rapids

Mariann May (Grauer) Tresnak, 96, passed away peacefully at her home in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Memorial Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 9, 2026, at St. Ludmila Catholic Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the Church. Private family inurnment will be in St. John’s Cemetery. Brosh Chapel and The Avacentre are assisting the family at this time.

Mariann was born on May 5, 1929, to George and Marie (Haman) Grauer on a rural farm near Oxford, Iowa. In 1947 she graduated from Oxford High School, where she played basketball and softball. A year later, she married the love of her life, James Joseph Tresnak, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids on September 1, 1948.

Mariann and James were blessed with four children: James, Lonie, Connie, and Randy. She devoted her life to family while also building a long and dedicated career at the Wilson Avenue Hy-Vee, where she worked for many years. Some of her grandchildren’s fondest memories include watching Grandma head off to work through the backyard gate of her Haven Court home, crossing straight into the Hy-Vee parking lot.

Mariann loved music and dancing; whenever a good tune played, you could count on her feet tapping and shoulders swaying. She was famous for her signature margaritas and for the fun and laughter she brought to every gathering. Above all, she treasured time spent playing cards with her grandchildren, who affectionately knew her as “Grandma T.”

Mariann was especially known for her kolaches. She lovingly baked them for birthdays, graduations, Christmas gatherings, and family celebrations of every kind. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren - the lights of her life - could always count on her warm kitchen and generous heart. A faithful member of St. Ludmila’s Catholic Church, she volunteered for decades baking kolaches for the annual Kolache Festival. Family lore holds that for many years the church used Mariann’s cherished recipe.

Family was the center of her world. She faithfully gathered with her sisters and extended family for monthly lunches, nurturing the close bonds she valued so deeply. Mariann’s life was defined by faith, family, hard work, and love. Her legacy will live on in the traditions she created and the generations she nurtured.

She is survived by her children: James (Suzanne) Tresnak; Lonie (Mary) Tresnak; Connie (Nelson) White; and Randy (Susan) Tresnak. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren: Daniel (Kathy) Tresnak; Corey (Diane Yehle-Tresnak) Tresnak; Seth (Amelia) White; April Tresnak; Abby Tresnak; Ashley (James Berryman) Tresnak; Brittany (Lindsey) Kuba; and Kelsey (Jon) Keller; her fourteen great-grandchildren: Caiden Tresnak; Kenley Lindstrom; Boden White; Kyler White; Breck White; Keileigh Tresnak; Payton Tresnak; Alivia Berryman; Jamal Berryman; Maleika Berryman; Logan Keller; Lainey Keller; Shea Kuba; and Finnegan Kuba; and her sisters, Hazel Schropp and Eileen Jiras.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, James; her parents; her brothers, Kenneth Grauer and Donald Grauer; and her sister, Audrey Kosina. Online condolences may be expressed to the family www.broshchapel.com.