Tonjia Marie Kolanowski

Tonjia Marie Kolanowski was born in Iola, Kansas in 1944 to William and Edythe Karr. Tonjia spent her early years in southeastern Kansas. Growing up she was a member of the local 4 H club, and working as a life guard teaching swim lessons at the Humbolt pool. In 1962, Tonjia graduated from Humboldt High School. The following fall, Tonjia attended nursing school at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri, where she graduated with a degree in Nursing in 1965. Following her graduation, wanting to see the world, Tonjia joined the United States Army as a nurse and she was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant, on October 27, 1967. Her first duty position was in the exotic port of call of Fort Hood, Texas, where she met her future husband, Stanley James Kolanowski. Tonjia was then transferred overseas and stationed at Landstuhl, Germany, where Tonjia and Stan were married on December 18, 1967. Tonjia’s family travelled to Germany for the ceremony with her brother Bill, Jr. standing in as best man for Stan. The newlywed couple was eventually transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia, so Stanley could continue his training. Tonjia became pregnant, and due to Army regulations, Tonjia was forced to retire July 31, 1969, as pregnancy was not allowed for active-duty personnel. She recalled having to let out her uniform as there were no US Army Nurse Corps pregnancy uniforms. The couple’s first child, Geoffry, was born in 1969 at Fort Benning, GA.

Following Stan’s serious injury during his second tour in Viet Nam, he was evacuated to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, WA and Tonjia travelled there to assist with his recovery. After Stan’s release from the Army, the family moved to Portland, Oregon, and purchased a home near Stan’s parents. They then moved to an apartment in The Bronx, New York to allow Stan to continue his education. While in the greater New York City area, Tonjia and Stan enjoyed being a part of the New York City Culture scene, and often went to Broadway plays, museums and ate at local restaurants. Tonjia continued her education, eventually graduating with a bachelor’s degree of fine arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 1975. The pursuit of her education continued while she worked different nursing jobs and cared for her growing family. Tonjia gave birth to a daughter, Tashana in 1975.

Professionally, Tonjia served in many nursing positions during her career. These included Director of Nursing for the Methodist Church Home in The Bronx, New York, and Cardinal Terrence Cook Health Center in New York, New York. 

In 1998, Tonjia moved with her mom, Edythe, from The Bronx, New York to Chesapeake, Virginia to take a job in quality control of nursing homes, finally retiring, her last position was with Tri-care insurance. In 2011, Tonjia retired and moved from Virginia to Seattle, Washington to be closer to her family. For several years, Tonjia was a snow-bird, alternating between Seattle in the summer months and Tucson, Arizona for the winter. When Tonjia sold her Arizona home, she settled in a home two doors from her beloved daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren Edythe and Edison. In her final forever home, Tonjia loved to garden. Tonjia recently landscaped both the front and back yard to make her home the jewel of her street, a fact that she took great pride in. 

Tonjia was an active and enthusiastic member of the “Hawthorne Hills” Book Group since 2013. She always enjoyed the gathering of the group and hosted the event several times. Her family very much enjoyed being taste testers for the snacks she would create for the times she hosted. Tonjia was a lifelong artist with a passion for creating large scale stunning modern art in various mediums. She enjoyed taking acrylic painting classes to learn new techniques, meeting other artists and learning to keep her painting motivation alive. When she travelled, Tonjia would carry a sketch book, or a small watercolor paint kit, which always give her an opportunity to create art and advance her skills. Tonjia’s art (painting, quilts and sculpture) can be seen in the homes of her relatives and friends. Tonjia took great pride in having sold her art on several occasions during her lifetime.

Tonjia was preceded in death by her brother Bill Jr., her parents, and husband Stan. Tonjia is survived by her son Geoff and daughter Tasha, and three grandchildren Edith, Edison and Marnie. She will be interred next to her husband at Mt. Calvery Cemetery, in Portland, Oregon in late August 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to Seattle Co-Arts (Seattlecoarts.com). Seattle Co-Arts was founded primarily to encourage creativity and develop originality in dedicated artists. They award scholarships to students who are looking to have a career in art. You can email the family any memories of Tonjia at Teamtashana@gmail.com.