THERESA CAROLINE PILARCIK (nee GRISH) ST. JOHN, IN Theresa Pilarcik, age 86, of St. John, IN, was embraced by the Lord on November 28, 2016. Theresa, one of twelve children, was born on November 7, 1930 in St. John, IN to the late Mehile and Katarzyna (Pozdal) Grish. Also preceding her in death are her loving husband, Alfred Pilarcik and ten siblings. Left to cherish her memory are her grandchildren: Elizabeth (Kevin) Pilarcik- Tellez and James Pilarcik; sister, Rosalee; and her daughter Kathleen Deutsch. As a teenager Theresa worked at her brothers' business, Grish Bros., Inc. in St. John, IN. During that time, she built and flew model airplanes competitively winning many awards including First-Place Speed Champion in the 1950 Plymouth International Model Plane Contest. After marrying her Alfred, a professional baseball player, she traveled around the country with him and made numerous paintings of the places they visited. Theresa was a gifted artist and craftswoman who worked in many mediums, though she is most known for her gourd work. She painted, etched and sculpted gourds into beautiful works of art, some purely decorative and others, like her birdhouses, more utilitarian. An active participant in the Lake County Fair, for decades she sponsored children's' craft categories and she regularly won top honors in the gourd and flower shows. Her work has been published in the book, "Gourds from Vine to Design", and while raising her two grandchildren she made a nice side-business selling her work at craft shows throughout the area. Theresa believed in using her talents to benefit others so she made time to be an active member of many garden clubs and charitable organizations. She continued to make art well into her eighties and freely taught her skills to others, inspiring many young artists who carry on her legacy. Visitation will be Tuesday, December 6, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. until time of procession to Mass of Christian Burial at 10:15 a.m. at Chapel Lawn Funeral Home (8178 S. Cline Ave. Schererville, Indiana 46375) Mass will be 10:30 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church (1 W. Wilhelm Ave. Schererville, IN). Entombment to follow at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens. To online condolences, please visit: chapellawnfunerals.com