Gail Marie Gajownik Salatka passed away on May 19 at the age of 73, surrounded by her loved ones.
Mrs. Salatka was born in Chicago on April 27, 1951, to Renetta and Stanley Gajownik. She attended St. Joseph Elementary and St. Francis de Sales High School in South Chicago through her junior year. She graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School in Beverly Hills, Mich., in 1969.
After moving to Chattanooga in 1969, Mrs. Salatka continued her education in nursing school at Piedmont Hospital School of Nursing in Atlanta, graduating in 1972 as a registered nurse. She began her nursing career at Parkridge Hospital in Chattanooga after graduation. After a few years, she moved to Erlanger Medical Center to begin a lifelong career in adult critical-care nursing. She went on to receive her BSN and Adult Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certifications, and she specialized in cardiac care. She was pursuing her MSN in nursing from Southern Adventist University. She was most known for her position as the adult critical-care nursing educator at Erlanger, where she excelled in the interpretation of EKGs and the ability to train nurses in the interpretation of EKGs.
As an adult critical-care nursing educator, Mrs. Salatka impacted hundreds of nurses and medical professionals in the Chattanooga area. Her knowledge, teaching, and personality were most admired and cherished by her students and her colleagues. Mrs. Salatka retired in 2017 after nearly 40 years of Erlanger service. She completed her career as the principal trainer for the EPIC EMR System during its inception at Erlanger Medical Center.
Mrs. Salatka was an avid reader and cherished the books from her childhood that she enjoyed collecting over the years. She enjoyed cross-stitching, making flower arrangements, and completing all kinds of crafting projects for her friends and family. She also was an accomplished figure skater in the 1970s, participating in many events with the Chattanooga Ice Skating Club and in regional competitions. She was loved dearly by her family and friends, who remember her for her positivity, kindness, and compassion.
Mrs. Salatka was preceded in death by her parents, Stanley and Renetta Gajownik, and her grandparents, Anthony and Sally Lichnerowicz.
She is survived by her husband, Albert Salatka Sr.; her son, Albert, Jr.; sister, Gloria Marie Gajownik; stepson, Jeffrey (Nena) Salatka, of White Lake, Mich.; and grandchildren, Alexis Thomas and Brandon Thomas; stepson, Anthony Salatka of New Castle, Del.; cousins, Georgia Lichner of Joliet, Ill., Kenneth (Kate) Lichner of Lewisburg, Ky., Nancy (Bill) England of Burr Ridge, Ill., Steven (Ellen) Lichner of Tinley Park, Ill., Diane Lichner of Vernon Hills, Ill., and Tracy (Lichner) Pierce; her godchild of Oak Forest, Ill.; the Kaiser-Saturday family, especially Mary Ann Saturday-Taylor of Michigan City, Ind.; the Staszewski families of Indiana; the Pinkowski families of Indiana; and cousin Linda Therriault of Frankfort, Ill.
A funeral Mass for Mrs. Salatka was celebrated on June 1 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. An inurnment service in the St. Jude columbarium followed the Mass.
Donations in Mrs. Salatka’s memory may be made to the Chattanooga Room in the Inn, 230 N. Highland Park Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37404, or go to chattanoogaroomintheinn.com.
