Former Olympian, council member passes at age 77 By Brian C. Louwers WARREN — Family, friends and long-time Warren leaders took time last week to remember former U.S. Olympian and Warren City Council member Jeanne Omelenchuk, who died on June 26 in Lapeer. Omelenchuk, 77, served on the Warren City Council from 1985-1995, chairing the council as its president and mayor pro tem during her final four-year term. A member of three U.S. Olympic speed skating teams — she participated in the 1960 Winter Games, in Squaw Valley, Calif., the 1968 games in Grenoble, France, and the 1972 games in Sapporo, Japan — Omelenchuk was also a celebrated cyclist. An art teacher with Detroit Public Schools, Omelenchuk held a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in education long before she was elected to the Warren City Council in 1985. She was also working toward a doctoral degree in psychological counseling at Wayne State University. For her athletic accomplishments, Omelenchuk was inducted into the Amateur Skating Union of the United States Hall of Fame. She was named to the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979, and to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. Warren Mayor Jim Fouts, who served with Omelenchuk during her entire 10 years on the council, remembered her as a competitor in all facets of life and an enforcer of the council’s rules of procedure. “Her competitiveness was reflected in her participation in the City Council. She was uncompromising, and she could be very terse with her comments,” Fouts said. “She was certainly a colorful character and a big part of the city for 10 years.” Fouls also described her as “bright and articulate,” and said she would be remembered as the first woman to hold the position of Warren’s council president and mayor pro tem. Omelenchuk is survived by her daughter, Kristin Sluka, of Almont, Mich. You can reach Staff Writer Brian C. Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1089. |
