The 70's... Do The Hustle

While the rest of the world was discoing the days away in the 70's, the only hustling Marge and Ed were doing involved running kids to baseball, 4-H, school activities, camps, and lessons of some description. Dad had settled in at the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus and was teaching computer classes. Mom continued to work part time as a nurse at Geauga Community Hospital in Chardon. They were both involved in Recreation Council, where they made many of the great friends they still have to this day. Mom continued singing in Sweet Adelines, and went to competitions with the chorus or her quartet, the Olde Mill Four. Dad enjoyed golfing and fishing as his outlet.

Education was important to them, so all of the kids attended Catholic school at St. Anselm, 1st through 6th grade. Great education... nuns and uniforms (kind of like mom's pants in the pic)... not so nice. When entering seventh grade, we joined the public school system and attended West Geauga schools. Chris was the first to make it through the teenage years (barely) and graduated in 1978.

Family was also very important and we often spent time with Bunky and Grandpa Thorp, riding Grandpa's tractors, gardening (farming as Grandpa would call it), and skating on the pond. Grandma Kosiewicz lived in the city, so it was exciting to go over there and ride the bus, buy candy at the little store next to her house, and attend Polish mass (Grandpa Kosiewicz had passed away in the late 60's). We also visited with Mom's Aunts and Uncles on a regular basis over in South Euclid and Dad's Aunts, Uncles and cousins were visited on holidays and special occasions. Buddy, Marge, Paul, Andy, and Anne were always a major part of family life during this decade too.

During the 70's we all played baseball - Dad even coached several of our teams, including one for Lynn and Karen called the Light Blue Monkeys. Dad was really a great coach and made sure that every girl on the team played during the games (something he and the league president had to fight all the coaches to do). He taught all of us how to be competitive and have fun at the same time, even though our team lost most of the time. He also taught us that when you get hurt, you'd better pick up the ball and throw it first... you could cry after you made the play. Bunky and Grandpa Thorp attended most of our games, and Grandpa loved to play catch or hit practice balls to us.

Summers were spent camping and boating. Kinzua Dam in PA with Uncle Buddy & Auntie Marge and the kids was a trip we looked forward to every year, where water skiing, boating, and fishing were favorite activities. At night we would sit around the camp fire, sing songs, roast (burn) marshmallows, and make pies in the cast iron forms, or drive around with a spot light and look for deer. Of course I can't talk about Kinzua without mentioning the "sucker vines" - sucker being the operative word here. Our "loving" Uncle Buddy would take us for walks in the woods where the suckers grew on vines and the ripe ones fell to the ground (in their plastic wrappings, of course) - little did we know at the time that he was throwing them as he walked behind us. This charade went on for several years... if the authorities knew about that today, I am sure it would be considered child abuse :)

Another fond vacation spot during that time was Mosquito Lake, where we would spend two weeks of the summer camping and boating. This is where we all became highly skilled water skiers. First thing in the morning and again in the evening, Dad spent many hours behind the wheel of the boat while Mom was in the seat behind him being the spotter. We also did a lot of night fishing off the shore.

In 1972, the Kosiewicz clan took the camper and the station wagon on a six week trek across the country. Try planning that trip without the internet. You are probably thinking, what? are they nuts??? Can you imagine driving to California and back with 4 kids in the back seat of a station wagon ranging in age from 9 - 12??? Not to worry, Dad has arms like Stretch Armstrong and there was no place he couldn't reach us in the back of the car - watch out for the long arm of the law! Looking back, we were so blessed to be able to have that experience. We got to see the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert (I think that's where mom made us get out of the car in the 120 degree blazing sun and stand by a stupid cactus to take our picture), Las Vegas, Old Faithful, the Redwood Forest, Disney Land, and many other amazing places. We went panning for gold and attended a real rodeo in Wyoming. At Mount Rushmore, Mike got a bloody nose that would not stop bleeding, so we had to turn around and try again the next day. And who could forget waking up in Winnamucca (here boys, here boys) or being eaten alive by an army of mosquitos in Targhee National Forest. Kudos to Dad for driving all those miles with a carload of kids, making sure he found us a campground with a pool, and setting up the camper each night after driving countless hours. Kudos to Mom for being a great co-pilot to Dad, organizing, packing and planning for six weeks on the road, feeding an entire family with a small stove and a mini fridge, and keeping us entertained in the car. I think she forgot to put the pin in the fridge only once during the whole trip.

In the 70's Mom and Dad established their careers, concentrated on making sure their kids were well educated, and stressed the importance of family and friends. It wasn't until we became adults that we could truly appreciate how hard Mom and Dad worked to make sure we had a beautiful life.

Finally... if we are talking family, we can't leave out our most beloved dog "CORKY". She was the greatest dog in the history of dogs and the Queen of dog heaven without a doubt.

Please share any memories you have of the 70's with our parents by clicking on the comments link below.

The 1960's - Kids, Kids, Kids

After Ed and Marge were married, they returned to Cleveland and set up house in a small apartment. While Dad finished school at Fenn College (now Cleveland State), Mom worked in the Pediatric department at the Cleveland Clinic. After Dad graduated in June of 1960, he began working as a freelance programmer in the new world of computers (so much for civil engineering in South America). Mom continued to work at the Clinic until their first (and most wonderful) child, Chris Ann, was born on October 25th, 1960.

When our grandparents moved to Russell, Ohio in 1961 (in the house where Karen now lives), Mom and Dad moved into their old house on Adrian Road in South Euclid. A couple months later, their one and only son (thank God), Michael Edward, was born on October 30th, 1961. Dad had just gotten a new job with Remington Rand UNIVAC and was supposed to start on the day Mike was born. Needless to say, he never made it in to the office.

In the Spring of 1962, Mom and Dad started building their house in Chesterland. Mom still vividly remembers painting Michael's room green while being very pregnant with Lynn. They moved into the house on October 14th, 1962 (on Grandpa Thorp's birthday) and three weeks later, Lynn Marie was born on November 5th, 1962. Karen Diane followed a year later, on December 31, 1963. During this time, our Auntie Marge and Uncle Buddy were also married, and their three kids, Paul, Andy and Anne, were born between 1962 and 1964. All the cousins remain close to this day.

Not long after Karen was born, Dad got a job offer in New York and the whole family moved into an apartment while construction on a new house was started. After we got there, they had a big shake-up at the new company and the job they had created for Dad was eliminated - he went to work every day and had nothing to do but sit in his office and read magazines. After several weeks of this he'd had enough, called his former boss back in Cleveland and was fortunate enough to get his old job back. So we all moved back to Ohio. Luckily, the Ohio house hadn't sold yet and the builder in New York agreed to take back the unfinished house. Later in the 60s, Dad went to work for Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College), where he spent the remainder of his working years.

Now having 4 kids in 4 years was no easy task and Mom credits surviving those years with a lot of help from Grandma Kosiewicz and Bunky and Grandpa Thorp. Dad also played a big part in helping her to maintain her sanity. Unlike a lot of men of that generation, Dad was a very "hands-on" parent - we fondly remember him laying on the family room floor and wrestling with all four of us when he got home from work.

Please share any memories that you have from the 60s by clicking on the comments link below.

Party Update

We are working on setting up hotel accommodations for the party. The two hotels we are looking at are: The Homewood Suites in Beechwood, and The Staybridge Suites in Mayfield Heights. Click on the links to see information on these locations.

If you are interested in group hotel accommodations, please email Lynn by June 1st at lmwalk@comcast.net with your hotel preference and the dates you will be staying.

The Wedding

Marguerite Roberta Ann Thorp and Edward Louis Christopher Kosiewicz were married on November 14, 1959. The wedding was held at St. Gregory the Great church in South Euclid, Ohio. The ceremony was performed by Father Cyril (the priest who baptized Mom), Monseignor White, and Father Gabriel (Father Cyril's brother).

Mom wore a simple, but beautiful wedding gown with a little bit of lace at the neck line. She wore a crown (as all Queens do) with an attached veil. Her bouquet was white flowers, with a touch of ivy, and white ribbons. She looked so pretty and elegant!

Dad wore a black tuxedo with a white kerchief in the pocket, white bow tie and simple white buttoniere. He looked so handsome, even though he was slightly under the weather from taking antibiotics!

The bridal party included:
Joan Haubrich - Maid of Honor and Mom's best friend
Barbara Rezac and Teddy Havel - Bridesmaids - they were all classmates from nursing school
Bud Kosiewicz - Best Man and Dad's brother
Bob Koprowski and Ray Jancewicz - Ushers
Cindy Doehring - Flower Girl and Mom's second cousin

They had a typical Catholic ceremony and Mom was 9 minutes late because Bunky had to take a million pictures. Mom remembers being excited and extremely happy and she really looked forward to spending the rest of her life with Dad. Dad remembers being happy for both of them but also a little worried as Dad was still in school. Even though the weather was awful, as it poured rain the entire day, it did not dampen the spirit and joy of their special day.

The reception was held at the Croation Hall immediately following the wedding. Since their finances were limited, they did not have an evening reception. Family and friends enjoyed a wonderful Polish menu and a great time was had by all.

For their honeymoon, they traveled to Virginia and Mom saw the ocean for the first time (now she is a world traveler). They also went to Williamsburg, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Jamestown Island, Skyline Drive and Natural Bridge (I am sure Dad did all the driving). The happy couple returned to Cleveland following their honeymoon to begin their new life...

The Courtship

Ed & Marge first met on a blind date arranged by our Aunt Marge, who was dating Dad's brother Buddy at the time. Mom and Auntie Marge went to nursing school together and says she chose Mom because she was the only one in the dorm that weekend that would go on the double date with her (so much for romance). For their first date, they went to Manner's Drive-In for coffee. Mom thought Dad was quiet and polite, and had the most beautiful eyelashes she'd ever seen (and still does!). Dad thought Mom was naïve and innocent (huh?) and needed protection from his rowdy friends - although Mom claims he was attracted by her great personality, fantastic body, and deep mathematical mind (not!). Even though it was not love at first sight, Mom liked Dad enough to ask him to an upcoming formal dance at school, and the rest, they say, is history.

Since they were both in school and money was tight, for the year and a half that they dated, they spent a lot of time doing homework together, watching Roadrunner cartoons, and when Dad could borrow Uncle Buddy's car, necking in Garfield Park. When the weather was nice, they spent time at the beach and the park, where Dad did some of his earliest "masterpieces" (Mom still has some of his drawings from that time). When there was snow, they often went tobogganing at Virginia Kendall with Dad's friends. During this time, Mom also got to know Dad's side of the family really well - and yet she still married Dad anyway! They had dinner three times a week at Grandma Kosiewicz's house, which Mom says saved her from certain death by food poisoning at the hands of the school cafeteria. They also visited Dad's Uncle Stan and Aunt Phil, who had recently celebrated the birth of their son Davey (Mom fondly remembers holding and rocking him). Dad was a big time bowler back then, and Mom would often tag along to the alley, playing cards at the local tavern after Dad was finished. One weekend she went with Dad, Grandpa Kosiewicz, Uncle Stan, and his cousin Norm to a bowling tournament in Detroit. While there, Uncle Stanley made Mom go out on the dance floor and proceeded to give her 10 minutes of instruction on doing the "Oberek", a Polish dance. When he finished, he informed Mom that he didn't actually know how to do the dance, and walked off the dance floor - needless to day, Mom was totally embarrassed.

Mom first thought that they might get married when Dad gave her his high school ring. They never really had a "formal" engagement - on one of their dates, Dad gave mom his fraternity pin (as they were leaving for the date, he had to go back to the house and get it) and they talked about getting married. Mom wore his frat pin until he could save enough money to buy her an engagement ring, which ironically she replaced years later with the simple gold band she wears today. Since both of them were still in school, their parents though they should wait until Dad finished school before they got married. But you know young people in love, they went with the advise of their friends and decided to get married after Mom finished nursing school.

Please share any fond memories you have from the courtship years by clicking on the comments link below.

Ed - The Early Years

Edward Louis Kosiewicz was born at home to Julia Swyt Kosiewicz and Ben (Boleslaw) Kosiewicz on September 7, 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio. It was likely he was named Edward after his Uncle and Louis after his Mother's Grandfather. He was the only child for a year and half at which time the family expanded to include dad’s only sibling, Walter (Buddy) Kosiewicz.

Dad & Buddy grew up in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio. They did not have a car through their grade school years, so to get anywhere they either walked, took the bus, or rode the street car. Most of the kids they played with in the neighborhood were in different grades and went to different schools, so friends at home were separate from friends at school. Dad took part in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, University Settlement (pic of Dad & Buddy in the canoe), and summer camps. As we all know, and his mother always swore by, Ed was perfect from day one! The only dirt we could dig up on Dad from his childhood is that he used his grandfather’s good lumber to make a soap box car and got in big trouble for it.

Dad attended St. Stanislaus kindergarten through eighth grade. Graduation from kindergarten was a big deal in the Polish neighborhood, and he dressed in the traditional robe and miter for the occasion. He also took part in school plays and dreamed of being an artist. He graduated from St. Stans in the eighth grade which was also considered another milestone in the neighborhood.

After refusing a scholarship to St. Stans, Dad attended Cathedral Latin High School for one year. He transferred to South High School where he acted in school plays, worked back stage, and sang in the acappella chorus. He also had the illustrious status of being one of the last male cheerleaders before they started allowing girls to participate. He joined the naval reserves and attended Great Lakes boot camp in the middle of a freezing cold winter. During his high school years his best subject was math (which apparently skipped a generation) and had the honor of giving a speech at his graduation ceremony.

Dad and Buddy spent their summers camping, canoeing, and fishing at Pymatuning Lake (where he honed his great fishing skills). Although there were just the boys and some cousins, there were many Aunts and Uncles. Grandpa Kosiewicz had 7 brothers and 1 sister. Grandma had 4 brothers and 2 sisters. With many relatives, there were always family functions to attend and lots of good Polish food to consume (can you taste Grandma’s apple turnovers now?). His Auntie May and Uncle Wally included the boys in many activities and they lived next door at one point. Later he became closer to his Uncle Stanley & Aunt Felecia and his Aunt Ceil.

Dad had a great love for education and desired to attend college, but his parents did not have the money to send him. So he went to work for Grabski’s car dealership, washing then undercoating and painting cars in the body shop. After a year of working at the dealership, his Uncle Sig offered to help pay for college. He immediately enrolled at Ohio State University with the intentions of becoming a Civil Engineer and dreamed of designing and building roads in South America. After 1 ½ years at OSU, he transferred to Fenn College (now Cleveland State) and enrolled in the Engineering Science program. While attending Fenn, he co-opped at Sohio and McKee’s, an engineering firm in Cleveland, where he was introduced to the world of computers. He became a computer programmer using assembly language programming software mainly for outside customers who wanted to use the computer at McKee. He graduated from Fenn with a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree with a major in math. (How’s that for a Polak?) He ended up quitting his job at McKees when they did not give him a raise after graduation. His mother thought he was nuts for doing that, but Dad always stood up for what he believed in and after all he is an engineer at heart... no gray... just black and white.

It is evident that education has always been a focus for Dad - even at a young age. There was not an abundance of money during his childhood, but he always found a way to fullfill his dreams.

Please share any fond memories you have from Dad’s childhood years by clicking on the comments link below.

Marge - The Early Years

Marguerite Roberta Thorp was born to Robert Alpheus Thorp and Marguerite Noll Thorp (affectionately known to us grandkids as "Bunky") on September 23rd, 1938 at St. Luke's hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. She was named Marguerite after her mother (all first born girls from her mom's side of the family were given that name) and Roberta after her father. "Margie" was their only child and freely admits to being spoiled rotten by them. Her parents took her everywhere they went, and if she was not invited, they would stay at home.

Mom grew up at 4416 Adrian Road in South Euclid, Ohio in a house built by her dad and her Grandpa Noll. She was the classic tomboy, preferring jeans and t-shirts to "dressy" clothes (Bunky must have made her put on a dress for this picture!), and her passion was playing baseball with her friends Jimmy Sweeny, Anthony Iarussi and Michael Palermo. She was also a hard core Cleveland Indian's fan and loved watching them play, a pastime she still enjoys to this day despite their failure to win a World Series since 1948. In addition to her athletic prowess, Mom had a talent for music - an ability passed down though her mom, who also played the piano, and her Grandpa Noll, who played the violin (although Mom admits she was often grounded for not practicing her piano lessons). She also spent many weekends boating on Lake Erie with her parents and socializing down at the Gordon Shore Boat Club. Her favorite radio programs back then were Fibber McGee & Molly and Bobby Benson & the B-Bar-B Ranch (she also recalls sitting on her dad's lap to listen to Gang Busters because she was so scared!).

Thorp family get togethers were a regular event during her childhood, attended by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and a source of great fun. Mom also spent many hours over at her Grandma and Grandpa Noll's house, who lived in the house next door to them on Adrian Road. World War II had a big impact on Mom's childhood - most of her cousins were fighting over seas during the war and her dad was an Air Raid Warden in South Euclid. Despite the seriousness of the times, she remembers feeling safe and secure, especially when lying in bed at night with Bunky after all the lights had to be turned off.

In 1955, Mom graduated from Regina High School, an all-girls, Catholic school run by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Her best subjects were History and Chemistry, and she was involved in athletics, chorus, and was a reporter for the school newspaper. During that time, she earned money by babysitting for the neighborhood kids and worked summers as a cashier at the A&P. Growing up, Mom was greatly influenced by her Aunt Temple, and aspired to become a nurse like her some day. She fulfilled that dream when she attended college at the St. Alexis School of Nursing and graduated as a Register Nurse in 1959.

All in all, Mom admits that she had the ideal childhood and says she would not change a thing. She had very loving and caring parents who supported and encouraged her in all aspects of her life (and, who by the way, were also terrific grandparents to us!). The only thing she ever wanted, but never got as a child, was a brother or sister.

Please share any fond memories you have from Mom's childhood years by clicking on the comments link below.

Welcome

Welcome to Ed & Marge Kosiewicz's 5oth Anniversay blog.

On November 14, 1959, Ed & Marge Kosiewicz were married at St. Gregory the Great Church in South Euclid, Ohio. This summer, we will be throwing a 50th Anniversary party for them to celebrate their lives together.

We have created this blog to share the details of the party (date yet to be determined) as well as some stories from our parent's lives together. As you read this blog over the coming months, we will ask you share some stories of your own about your favorite times spent with our parents.

So stay tuned and let the celebration begin.

Chris, Mike, Lynn & Karen