Angela L "Angie" (Rozploch) Dicks

Angie was born on March 14, 1950 to Ruth and Richard Rozploch in South Bend. The weather was “snowin’ and blowin’” that day, according to the lore dramatically told by her mother. Angie started out a quiet, studious, and sensitive child who gravitated toward animals, loved to play dress up, and read. She grew up Polish Catholic on South Bend’s West Side, frequenting the Polish social clubs of the day with her parents and beloved Busia (grandmother, Pauline Bladecki). She attended St. Casimir’s Catholic Grade School from kindergarten through 8th grade. A fond memory of her childhood was eating cold Spaghetti-O’s straight out of a metal can with her friend Michelle at the kitchen table and taking the bus to eat at Kresge’s famous lunch counter in downtown South Bend. She also had fun times with her childhood friend Sherry, dancing polkas at the many Polish club picnics. Angie then attended St. Joseph High School, graduating in 1968.

In 1975, she married John Dicks in St. Casimir’s Church. He passed away in 2003. They had a daughter, Heather Mezosi. Their marriage was a happy one, highlighted by family trips to Cedar Point and Indiana Beach, and lots of lively conversations about everything and anything, usually while dining out. Indeed, Angie was hugely responsible for being the purveyor of Heather’s charmed childhood. She spent countless hours reading to her daughter, encouraging her to draw, to write, and to wish upon stars while sitting on the back porch steps at night. She shared her love of musical theatre with her daughter, making it a priority to take her to various shows in Chicago and the Broadway Theatre League in South Bend. She especially loved the Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, and Les Miserables. Angie’s father played the violin and sang in choirs. He passed those musical passions onto to her, as Angie’s first job was as an organist and choir member at St. Casimir’s. Angie also sang in the choir at Our Lady of Hungary in South Bend for several years alongside her dear friends, Mary Schaar and The Fabulous Marge Dudeck. But she wasn’t all prim and proper. Far from it! She was also the young woman who danced in a cage suspended from the ceiling at Shula’s nightclub with friends. Of course, she sported a blond wig, floral mini skirt, and white go-go boots while dancing in said cage to the hits of the psychedelic late 60s. Her lifelong friend Diane was a big part of her young adulthood.

For the past 28 years, Angie was employed by the St. Joe County Public Library as a shelver. She LOVED her library family. She was a cheerleader for library programs and for getting people to check out and read or listen to books, and to use the tech services of Studio 304. She also enjoyed selecting books for friends who couldn’t get to the actual library. Truly, she would tell ANYONE who would listen about how they—and everyone they knew— needed to support their public library. The library also loved Angie, as evidenced by the many staff who came to see her at hospice house and the memories they shared during those visits. They described her as being “joy in the halls” and the leader of “anything to do with merriment making”. She planned many a fundraiser, retirement and birthday party for staff, making sure the honoree had a unique and meaningful gift and that everyone had their share of the cake.

Angie was also quite the gadabout: she loved going to the bluff at St. Joe, Michigan for the art shows in the summer. She enjoyed eating out with her Yellow Cat Café breakfast group each Tuesday and with her Saturday breakfast crew at Angelo’s. Her and her dear friend, Richard Zink, also went to a variety of local restaurants the other days of the week and enjoyed hitting up estate sales, antique malls, and the casino. For a child who started out so shy, she had a remarkable ability to cultivate and sustain genuine friendships with people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds.

Angie notably loved animals. Around 2016, she started feeding some feral cats (the “City Cats”) in downtown South Bend on her way to work each morning. Her good friend and coworker Sylvia Long then joined in caring for them. When the abandoned building where the cats lived was set for demolition, Angie, Syliva, and city officials spearheaded an effort with Meow Mission volunteers to trap, spay, neuter, and relocate the cats to a home in the country. It can be easy to overlook the suffering of animals, or dismiss efforts to help them as not worth the effort, but Angie was an optimist for animals and a gentle soul who gave so much to help critters. Family cats Casper, Marcel, James “Socks”, and Louis adored her, as did her grand dog, Nicholas. There’s no doubt she was greeted to Heaven by an ecstatic pack of cats, dogs, birds, and wildlife who knew her love over the years.

In 2022, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Prior to then, she had never really been sick, so this was a big adjustment for her at 72. The roller coaster of a cancer diagnosis made Memorial Hospital of South Bend a second home. Still, she made the best of it, relishing the hospital meatloaf, and, most importantly, the competence and kindness of Dr. Javed Malik, Dr. Katherine Goze, Dr. Sam McGrath, Dr. Michael Ginsburg, Dr. Nicholas Kerr, Dr. Latoya Perry, Dr. Karissa Misner, Dr. Matthew Misner, Dr. John Jacobs, nurse practitioners Kristen Atwood, Haley Bywaters, and Sedra Ketchum, and the INCREDIBLE Memorial infusion center nurses and Raclin House nurses. Angie actually looked forward to getting IV chemo or fluids in the Memorial infusion center when it meant she also got to chat with Michelle at the infusion center front desk.

Angie continued to work at the library throughout her treatments. The friendship of her colleagues meant so much to her, particularly her bond with Becky, Denyse, Sara, Shannon, Sylvia, and Cherry. Also pivotal in her cancer journey was, of course, her dear friend Richard Zink, who provided much needed light-hearted conversations and a calming, steady presence. She also appreciated calls from neighbors Edie Smorse and Mary Schaar, who called frequently to check up on her and who were always interested in the details of her day. Thanks, too, to her niece, Daynna, for visiting with her at hospice house so much. She was also grateful for the multitude of prayers sent her way by so many. A special thank you to Fr. Ben Landrigan, pastor of Our Lady of Hungary, for giving Angie the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick on Ash Wednesday.

Angie spent her final week in this life at the beautiful Ernestine Raclin Hospice House in Mishawaka. The staff and volunteers were incredible with her, making what could have been a scary time actually one of peace and joy. Cindy, a hospice volunteer asked Angie what she would like to be her legacy. Angie responded that while she hadn’t been a president, movie star, or Nobel Prize winner, she hoped to leave a legacy of kindness and decency. Indeed, her story is one of a scrappy woman who cared enough to never stop trying to make her little corner of the world a better place for all people and animals. Anyone who knew her would say she succeeded.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at Our Lady of Hungary Catholic Church on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11:00am. A Celebration of Life will follow at 12:30pm in the ballroom of the Community Center of the St. Joe County Public Library.  Per Angie’s wishes, her remains were cremated. Some of her ashes will be laid to rest with her late husband at Highland Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Angie’s honor to the St. Joe County Public Library, Center for Hospice Care (Raclin House inpatient unit), Meow Mission, and/or to Indiana Legal Services, Inc.

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