Friends, family and fellow Marines filled Ryan-Parke Funeral Home on Sunday, Aug. 9, to say goodbye to Magdalena Jablonska, a 48-year-old Des Plaines resident and U.S. Marine veteran killed two weeks earlier in a Fox River boating crash.
Jablonska died July 25 when a pontoon boat allegedly driven by Richard M. Stevenson, 45, of Lisle struck the smaller Crownline runabout she was riding in near McHenry. Prosecutors say Stevenson was traveling roughly 80 mph through a no-wake zone with a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
The visitation at Ryan-Parke, 120 S. Northwest Highway, ran from 3 to 8 p.m.
A life of service
Known to loved ones as "Madzia," Jablonska was born in Nysa, Poland, and immigrated to the United States as a child. She attended Lane Tech High School in Chicago, enlisted in the Marine Corps and served six years before receiving an honorable discharge. She later earned a bachelor's degree in interior design from the Illinois Institute of Art and worked as a lead project accountant at ServPro.
Her sister Michelle Macias, 14 years younger, told NBC Chicago on July 29 that Jablonska was endlessly generous, always putting others ahead of herself.
Outside of work, Jablonska rode motorcycles with her fiancé Alan Telmini, traveled, visited wineries and supported her brothers' racing events. Her brother Marcin Jablonski launched a GoFundMe campaign in her memory to benefit two dog shelters she supported; it had raised more than $30,000 as of Aug. 6.
Wrongful death lawsuit filed
On Friday, Aug. 7, Chicago-based GWC Injury Lawyers filed a wrongful death lawsuit in McHenry County Circuit Court on behalf of Jablonska's estate and Telmini. The suit, which names Stevenson as defendant, seeks in excess of $150,000 in combined damages for Jablonska's wrongful death, Telmini's physical injuries and emotional distress, according to Shaw Local.
Stevenson's 31-foot, black-and-orange South Bay tri-toon, equipped with three 500-horsepower outboard engines and purchased for nearly $500,000, went airborne and rode up and over the Crownline carrying Jablonska, Telmini and their dog Sasha.
Stevenson faces one count of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI causing death. McHenry County State's Attorney Deputy Chief Brian Miller called him "a ticking time-bomb" at a detention hearing, citing a criminal history that includes three prior DUI charges, three reckless driving charges and three fleeing-and-eluding convictions. He remains in the McHenry County Jail; his next court date is a preliminary hearing on Aug. 21.
In an Aug. 6 Chicago Tribune interview tied to the lawsuit filing, Macias said: "Maggie always said everything happens for a reason … But there's no reason why this should have happened."
Jablonska's family is calling for stricter boating safety enforcement in Illinois, including harsher penalties for impaired boating and stronger regulations on high-performance recreational vessels. Illinois Conservation Police are asking anyone with information or surveillance video from the crash to file a report at dnr2.illinois.gov/OLETIPHotline.
