Zigmunt Ochylski Oct. 8, 1887 - Dec. 16, 1939		Memories Of My Dad - Dolores ( Ochylski ) Waurzyniak
My dad was a gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice, scold or spank anyone. He had gray eyes, light brown hair, and was five feet six inches tall. I remember him as tall, a slight build and very strong. Being a butcher he was used to lifting the heavy quarters of beef over his shoulder. Daddy worked long hours at the store. His day began early. In the morning the meat was delivered to the store and hung in the cooler. There, with the help of the meat cutters the cattle was broken down and cut and prepared for the counters. The counters were filled to capacity. The store was cold. Dressed chickens and meat were laid in the window so customers could choose what they wanted. There were wooden poles behind the counters on which hung a variety sausages, some smoked some fresh. There was kiszka, and kielbasa, smoked hams and others. Dad had a Sausage maker Mr. Strzelecki ...we called him Wuja (this means uncle but I don't know if we were related) He made the best sausage in town! Just the right amount of spices, blended to prefection. It was delicious. When we moved up north I tried to get that same wonderful flavored sausage for Easter, but was very disappointed. I never found anyone who had that knack. Dad treated his help very well, and they stayed with him for years. This is a memory I can't confirm, but I seem to remember my dad saying never ever to leave a knife		on the kitchen counter. "Never leave a weapon laying around" he would warn us. He was a good man but he let us know there were others in the world, not so good. To this day, I have to have the counters clear! Dad never deprived mother or any of us anything, but she did not know how many people he helped during the depression. After daddy died many,many, I.O.U.s came spilling out of his rolltop desk. The great depression started around 1929 or 1930. I don't know the date, but all the banks closed! Dad had no money to make change in the store. He came home and collected all the money in the house.. I had a little tobacco bag, that served as my bank, hanging on a small nail on the corner of our basement kitchen cabinet. He wanted to take it too. I said no, but Daddy would replace my money with interest, so I said okay....I was three.
		The picture was taken some time around their wedding. (1915)
During those depression years, many families lost their homes. They couldn't make their morgage payments. Realtors contacted a lot of business people and have them take over the mortgage My Grandmother Annie and my dad went into a partnership, in the real estate business. They ended up owning a few houses . What arrangements he made with the tenents, I don't know but no one moved out. We would go with Daddy to collect the rent. I loved doing this. The people were friendly and one of them owned a parrot, that was kept on the porch. Sometimes my best friend Myra came with us. Both my grandmother and my dad raised canaries, while we lived on Helen Ave. Aunt Irene said my Grandma would cut a fresh coconut in half and make a nesting home for the birds. It was fun to watch the baby birds. We watched Loretta too, she hugged them by the neck. On Sundays dad would take us to the store after church, to check the refrigerators, and feed the cats. There was a lot of good stuff upstairs. Display cases, bread racks, ect. Daddy let me bring home some low racks with shelves, I painted them and used them in my bedroom for toys and books. I still like to scrounge around in junk stores,.. Down the street from Dad's store was a confectionary shop. Nick the Greek, we called him, made his own		sweets, we would get a ice cream cone, one of those special sugar cones he made, or some of those special chocolates. A gypsy women came into the shop once and gave me a rose. She said I would always be lucky. I think she was right. On Sunday afternoon, Dad liked to listen to Father Caughlin on the radio. He was very popular with parents, not with children, because we had to be quiet during the broadcast. The program originated from a church called 'The Shrine of the Little Flower'. Parents seemed to believe the earth stood still when Father Caughlin spoke. He had a lot of influence over his flock. Dad always cut and prepared the meat he brought home for our family. My cousin Adam worked with Dad and he told me, only the best was good enough. We would have sweetbreads for Sunday breakfast somes times. Little did I know what sweetbreads were....but they were delicious. Shortly before Thanksgiving my dad would take us kids with him to Eastern Market. There, in a huge building, turkey sandwiches and hot coffee were being served. The farmers would bring in their birds and the store owners would buy them. Dad always gave a fair price. Years later I was told dad was a fair and honest man. The farmers that sold him their bird's
		Zigmunt and Clara ( Krawczewski ) Ochylski married November 17, 1915.
were the Kubacki's, relatives of your dad. They told me this when I met them soon after George and I were married. Oh yes, they also sold geese and ducks. My mom and Grandma Annie roasted some of these but didn't care for them too fat! My dad enjoyed good music. Many times we went to Belle Isle and attended concerts preformed at the Shell Band Stand. My mom would pack a picnic lunch and the family would sit on the grass, walk along the waters edge and listen to the music. My dad always smoked cigars. Mother loved the smell, and missed it when he was gone. On the way to church he'd light one up, but being only a block from church, he didn't get to smoke much of it. As we took a short-cut across the field next to the church, Daddy would place the cigar in the crotch of a tree and retrieve it after mass. Dad was a generous man, but believed in waste not, want not. We also went on many picnics at Dad's brother's park. Uncle Eddie owned an amusement park named Belvedere . Complete with a dance hall, childrens rides, and a picnic area. He owned the park from 1920 through 1936. The site is now part of the city of Sterling Hieghts, Aunt Irene remembers she sprained her ankle at their house! I remember Dad teaching Claire how to drive. One		Sunday afternoon we were all packed in the car, and Claire was driving in the country, when she was cut off the gravel road by a car driven at a high rate of speed. The road was high and we could just see the treetops on the sides. We landed at the bottom. The red haired gal that drove the other car said,"I got you into this mess, and I'll get you out." and she did. Gas was ten gallons for a dollar. Our car had wooden spoked wheels. When I think about my dad I see him in one of these places, home, the garden and his store. I remember the store with a childs memory. Every thing is big. I mention huge often, to me it was. Mostly I remember the ceiling. It was beautiful, made of metal, in square designs, each with an ornate desigh. A crown molding extended around the whole ceiling. The Floors were wooden and sprinkled with saw dust. This was to absorb the grease and prevent anyone from slipping. Large windows were across the entire front of the building. The sun light streamed in. I think there were a couple of steps at the entrance. Along the left side and maybe across the back, I'm not sure, were glass counters. To me they were quite high. Or maybe I was quite small! Trays of meat and sausage were on display, as I mentioned before. There was a cooler in the rear of the store, with a very heavy door. Off to the right side was the cashiers, booth. The butchers did not handle the cash. There were a few other items for sale. bread, noodles, sugar, ect. but the meat
		Zigmunt and Clara ( Krawczewski ) Ochylski married November 17, 1915.
market was exactly that, meat. At first dad's hours ended earlier in the evening, but later on, other stores began to stay open later and dad had to compete. Daddy had an office just off the sales room of the store. It was not large and contained only a roll-top desk and his chair. Farther back was the sausage maker and the cutting room. There was also a smoke room. Every thing was kept very clean. Dad and mom were having a new house built on Whittier Road. They sold the home on Helen, but our new home was not finished so we lived for a short time on Raymond in a small house dad rented there, just for the time it took to complete our new home. These are three of many!		When the builders completed our new home, we drove up and saw a small tree attached to the chimney. Dad and the men laughted and dad thanked them. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but just lately I learned that when a new village was established in Europe the people would plant a tree to ensure good luck and prosperity. I'm sure my dad appreciated the gesture. We moved into our new home in spring 1937. We all enjoyed our new home very much. Daddy planted roses along the lot line. He watered them with deluted blood. They were gorgeous, richly colored, and leaves that looked like they were waxed. He also sprayed them with sudsy water made from Fel-naptha soap. No bugs in his garden! We had a rock garden against the garage wall, dad had a way with flowers. He planted three or four magnolias, on the side and front of our home. They had large fragrant blossoms. Dad had many flowers in his garden. I loved to help him in the yard. Daddy was able to enjoy his home only a couple of years. Dad had worked late on my birthday. The next evening he offered me my choice of a handful of change. I choose four new quarters. Ronnie was sitting on dads lap, they were sharing an apple, one slice for Ronnie, one slice for dad. This was December 15,1939. I had just turned thirteen and Ronnie was sixteen months old. Daddy died the next morning December 16, 1939.
		Zigmunt and Clara ( Krawczewski ) Ochylski married November 17, 1915.
The year daddy died I had already finished my Christmas shopping. Gifts were wrapped and hidden around the house. The night before he died Dad said he had a cramp in his leg. He didn't think much about it. He rubbed the muscle with some thing, and went back to bed. Mother heard a sound, awakened to see daddy in pain. He was unable to speak. Mother phoned the doctor and Father Fillion, and ran back upstairs. Daddy waved his hand , as if to say good-bye and was gone. He died of a cardiac emboli, at 5:15 A.M. Daddy was laid out in our house. A black wreath was hung on our front door. We had a steady stream of visitors. They came all day and evening long. Ronnie was too young to realize what was going on. He would run back and forth across the living room, climb up on the kneeler in front of dads casket and say "Hi daddy ". It was heart breaking. I heard my mother say to my grandmother. "Why did God give me this baby boy, and take Ziggy away?" My grandmother told her to be happy she had this baby, because he would be a great comfort and joy to her.		Father Fillion told mom, dads funeral was the largest the parish ever had. There were people and cars for blocks and blocks. After the Mass dad was laid to rest at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Mother fed all those people before the day ended. That day changed mother's life forever. My sorrow was so great, that I don't recall much about that Christmas season that followed. But do recall mom tried to make it as normal as possible for the family. Mom told me I could give Chet the gift I had gotten for daddy. I couldn't. Instead I kept it in my chest of drawers next to the four quarters dad had let me choose. They all staved there a lone time. The quarters turned a golden color.