Joseph Orshoski, Jr., 1907-1954

Joseph Orshoski, Jr. was born on July 11. 1907, the second child of Joseph Orshoski and Julia Herzog Orshoski. He was a younger brother of my paternal grandfather, Steve Orshoski. As did most of the men folk on my Orshoski side, Joseph Orshoski, Jr. worked at the Medusa Cement Company. In the Spring of 1954, Joe, Jr. was in a fire in the trailer in which he lived in Bay Bridge. He was severely burned, and he died as a result of his burns on Sunday, May 2, 1954. I was just a very little girl when Great Uncle Joe passed away, and I do not remember him at all. Everyone tells me that his nickname was "Monk." Joe, Jr. had a very sad life. His mother died when only 11, and he worked hard at the cement company. My dear neighbor Mary told me that drank too much, and he actually may have been under the influence of alcohol when the trailer caught fire. Funeral services for Joseph Orshoski, Jr. were held at the Holy Angels Church in Sandusky, Ohio, and Joe, Jr. was buried at Castalia Cemetery, next to his beloved mother, Julia Orshoski.

In the picture below, Joe, Jr. is among the young men standing next to the casket of the first Mrs. Joseph Orshoski, Sr.

Snapshots of Mom from the 1940s

Recently I ran across a couple of old pictures of my mom, Joyce Parker Orshoski, from the 1940s. In the picture to the left, Mom was playing dress up, while she was spending time with her paternal grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker, on their farm in Perkins Township.















Mom wrote a few notes on the back of the picture.

In 1947, Mom gave her Grandma and Grandpa Parker a picture of herself, at age 16, at Christmas time.

Eventually the picture from 1947 made its way back to Mom. It seems like you can see the zest for life in Mom's eyes in that photo. When she was playing dress up, I think she was looking ahead to the day when she would be a wife and mother, and be the "lady of the house." She surely did indeed grow up to achieve all that, and so much more! She put her whole heart in everything she ever did, and it is a joy to look back at pictures of Mom from her growing up years.

My Family in the Summer of 1952

Pictured above are my parents, Paul and Joyce Orshoski, in 1952. I am in the baby stroller. My beloved pet dog Rusty can be seen between me and my cousin Carol. At that time we lived in Crystal Rock, where our house was situated right across from Sandusky Bay.

Old photo of Aunt Bertie and Great Aunt Hilda

Thanks to my dear cousin in Florida, I now have an image of my Aunt Bertie, my father's older sister, who is the younger child (on the left) in the picture above, about 1926. Hilda was an aunt to Bertie, though Hilda was only one when her niece was born! The older toddler (child on the right) is my Great Aunt Hilda Yeager. Aunt Bertie lived a full, rich life, which included serving as a police woman and co-owning a family restaurant for many years.

Great Aunt Hilda Yeager died when she was only four years of age. She was the daughter of my great grandparents, Andrew and Lena Yeager. Hilda died as a result of influenza. She was buried at St. John's Cemetery, near her parents' final resting place.

Below is a transcription of the obituary for Hilda Yeager, which appeared in the April 7, 1930 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal:

Child 'Flu' Victim To Be Buried Tuesday
Huron, April 7 -

The funeral of Hilda Elizabeth Yeager, 4, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Yeager, who died of "flu" Saturday, will be held from the family residence on River Rd., about a mile south of Huron, Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 and 2:00 from Zion Lutheran Church, the Rev. W. R. Lucht, pastor, officiating. Besides her parents the child leaves two brothers, Fred and Andrew, and three sisters, Mrs. Emma Orshoski, Mrs. Norma Ernst, and Miss Dorothy Yeager, all of Huron.


Rest in peace Aunt Bertie and Great Aunt Hilda!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Family Traditions

The prompt for Week 23 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is:

Family Traditions: For which family tradition are you most thankful? How did the tradition start? Which family members have been responsible for keeping the tradition alive and how has it shaped your own family history?

A family tradition that was started by my parents, Paul and Joyce (Parker) Orshoski, is that the Paul Orshoski family would have their main family Christmas celebration at lunchtime on Christmas Day. This allowed for everyone to be able to attend the festivities on the "other" side of the extended family on Christmas Eve. We used to have our own quiet dinner early on Christmas Eve, and then get our best church clothes on and attend Christmas Eve church services, where all the school age children in the family had to say a "piece." I can recall memorizing verses, and repeating them just as fast as I could, so I wouldn't forget a word!

Another tradition in the Paul Orshoski family was the annual Christmas photo card, sent to family and friends both far and near. Through the years, our loved ones could see the children grow and change, and those old family photo cards are still a treasure to our family.

Today, some of us now send out digital photo cards via email or Facebook, and not all the members of our multi-generational family can make it to the big Orshoski family gathering at lunch time on Christmas Day. The tradition still stands, and I can honestly say that except for a couple times when illness kept me home, I have been with members of my Orshoski family every year. The memories are bittersweet, as now our parents are gone, but there is always a spot at the family table on Christmas Day for our ever-growing family!

Sentimental Sunday: Mom's Thoughts on Our Singing in Her Honor

In December, 1996, four of Joyce Orshoski's six children, along with daughter in law Cindy, sang "I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry" during a Sunday morning church service at the Congregational United Church of Christ on Main Street in Castalia, Ohio. Though not all of us have a beautiful singing voice, Matt and Kellie carried us. Mom really appreciated us singing this song, in honor of her 65th birthday. After Mom's death, I went through a scrapbook that had been made for Mom by Great Grandma Orshoski (my dad's step grandmother on the Orshoski side.) Mom had written a comment to an unidentified publication, in which she stated how very much she appreciated us singing at church. Most of us had never even known she wrote about this! We miss both Mom and Dad so very much. They gave us a lifetime of wonderful memories and they set a great example of how to life to the fullest. Pictured below is Mom with Kellie, the youngest of her six children.

On this Mother's Day, we fondly remember your loving ways, Mom!

Above is the last picture of Mom ever taken on my camera, before her passing on September 8, 2010.(Brother in law Steve snapped this picture on my camera.) A few of us had gathered for breakfast on a beautiful Sunday morning in August, 2010. The next day was to be the last day she ever drove, or ever worked. Even though it has been over a year since her death, it is still very difficult to recall her tough battle with cancer. She was one in a million!

Bay Bridge Sign

Recently a sign that reads "Bay Bridge" was placed just outside the small unincorporated area, located along the Sandusky Bay, six miles northwest of Sandusky. This location has been home to six generations of my family, going back to my great grandparents, Joseph and Julia Orshoski, who settled here about 1917. Many, many of my male relatives worked at the Medusa Cement factory, from 1917 until it closed in 1960.










When I stopped to snap a picture of the Bay Bridge sign, I could hear several varieties of birds and insects in the woods next to the sign.

Thanks, Great Grandpa Joe, for finding this delightful spot in Erie County, Ohio!

Was Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski Related to Jackie Orszaczky?

In August of 1998, I received a letter from Laszlo Orszaczky of Budapest, Hungary. At that time, Laszlo felt that everyone in Hungary was related to each other, as there were so few individuals with that surname (less than 40) in the country of Hungary at that time. Laszlo suspected that the name Orszaczky (which my ancestors spelled Orshoski) was originally of Polish origin. Laszlo had a brother named Miklos Orszackay, who became a well known musician, first in Hungary, and then in Australia. His stage name was Jackie Orszaczky. Laszlo and I had always hoped we could connect our families, his from Budapest, and my Orshoski family from Felső Vadász. Sadly, both Laszlo and Jackie Orszaczky both died in 2008, and we were never able to make a solid connection. As I look back through my Orshoski Family Notebook, I am reminded of an email I received from Jackie Orszaczky in January, 2001. He said that after viewing a few family pictures via email, "the relationship is obvious." Both Jackie and several of my male Orshoski relatives have dark hair, a slender face, and most wear glasses. So, while I do not have solid proof that we are connected, in my heart I truly believe that my Orshoski family is related to Laszlo Orszaczky from Budapest, and to Jackie Orszaczky, the jazz musician from Australia. Maybe someday I will make a solid connection! You can read more about jazz musician Jackie Orszaczky here.

My great grandfather Joseph Orshoski is pictured below with his sons and several neighbors and friends at the funeral of his first wife Julia in 1919, in Sandusky, Ohio. (My Great Grandpa Joe is the man with dark hair standing behind the casket of Julia Orshoski.)

(Note: Top photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons.)

Mom's Margaretta Alumni Collection is Listed in NUCMC!

After my mother's death in 2010, my siblings and I agreed that we should donate her collection of Margaretta High School Alumni materials to the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center. I found Mom's collection listed at NUCMC, the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. I had seen the finding aid at the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center, but I had not previously seen the entry at NUCMC. The mission of the NUCMC is in part to "provide and promote bibliographic access to the nation's documentary heritage." The free cooperative cataloging program is operated by the Library of Congress.

To find family history materials on NUCMC, click on:

Searching on OCLC WorldCat

in the center column of NUCMC's home page.

I put Mom's name in the Easy Search Form. Her name is Joyce Orshoski. It brought me to this result.

For more details, click on:

More on this record

Mom's collection of Margaretta High School Alumni materials includes news clippings, photographs, obituaries, and bound copies of The Margaretta News covering the dates 1943 to 1948. Though Mom did not start attending Margaretta High School until her sophomore year in high school, she made lifelong friends with both students and teachers, and she was active in writing for the school newspaper. All six of her children, and several grandchildren also graduated from Margaretta. Anyone can view the Joyce Parker Orshoski collection at the library of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center. The Hayes library also features valuable genealogical and historical information, and an outstanding and ever-growing Obituary Index. It is definitely worth a visit if you have Ohio ancestors!

Pictured below is a photo of Joyce Parker Orshoski, and just a few of her descendants, in front of her beloved alma mater, Margaretta High School, in the summer of 2007.

Dad's Service in the U.S. Navy

My dad, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr., served in the United States Navy from April 3, 1945 until his discharge on October 27, 1947.

Dad was a Fireman First Class, which helped him learn skills he would use later as a plumber and pipe fitter. He was a part of Operation Crossroads, a nuclear testing series that took place in the summer of 1946 in the Marshall Islands. The ships that Dad served on were:

• U.S.S. Hughes
• U.S.S. Niagara
• U.S.S. Oakland

Dad was glad to serve his country, and he enjoyed getting to know the men on his ships who came from all over the United States. He liked the fact that he got to see a lot of the world, as he grew up in a family where money was scarce, and I think the furthest he had traveled before enlisting in the Navy, was to Cleveland, to see the Indians play. He did not speak much about his years in the service, but he had always hoped to go back to Hawaii, where he was stationed.

On March 26, 1983, Paul R. Orshoski, Sr. lost his battle with lung cancer. He was buried at Perkins Cemetery. Mom joined him in Heaven on September 8, 2010. Paul and Joyce's children and grandchildren still miss them dearly, and cherish the wonderful memories they gave to us!

This post was written for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun at Genea-Musings. If you have ancestors who served in the military, stop by Genea-Musings, and read how you can join in tonight's fun!

(Note: Most of the images and content in this post have appeared in previous blog posts at the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay.)

Michael J. Orshoski, 1960-1993

Pictured above is Michael "Mike" Orshoski at the Bay View Park in 1966. Mike was the oldest son of Cliff and Barbara (Lindsley) Orshoski. Like so many youngsters who lived in Bay View in the 1960's, Mike loved to play Little League baseball. The picture was taken by his Aunt Joyce.

Mike loved life, as did his father. He worked as a sales representative for Resort Exchange Systems, of Moline, Illinois. Sadly, Michael J. Orshoski was killed in an automobile accident in Ashtabula County, Ohio on November 21, 1993. He was buried at Restlawn Memorial Park in Huron, Ohio, near his mother Barb, who had died in November of 1983. (Restlawn Memorial Park is now known as Meadow Green Memorial Park.) Mike was survived by his father, two sisters, a brother, and four children.

Was Grandpa Named Steve Orshoski or Steve S. Schilsky?

Through the years I had been told that Grandpa Steve and Grandma Emma were married in July of 1925, because their 25th wedding anniversary celebration was the exact month that my parents were married in 1950. Until recently I had not seen a marriage record for my maternal grandparents. While browsing Family Search looking for more data on the Yeager side of my family, I came across a marriage record for Emma Yaeger and Steve S. Schilsky at Family Search in the Michigan Marriages collection. My maternal grandparents were married at Monroe, Michigan.

The bride's name was listed as Emma Yaeger, though her last name was usually spelled Yeager. The groom's name was given as Steve. S. Schilsky!

My maiden name of Orshoski has been pronounced and spelled many different ways, but never as Schilsky! If you close your eyes, and just listen to the two names,

Orshoski

S. Schilsky

they do sound similar, with the "sh" in the middle and the ski/sky at the end. I am unsure as to whether Grandpa gave them incorrect information, or if the clerk at the Monroe County Courthouse made an error.

Further complicating things is the section for the parents' names of the bride and groom. Grandma Emma gave her parents' names as Andrew Yeager and Lena Piehl. However, Grandpa Steve said his parents were George and Thelma Schilsky!

As so often is the case, now I have more questions than answers! I contacted a cousin in Florida, and she had never heard that Grandpa Steve had been adopted, and I hope to obtain Grandpa Steve's birth record from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania soon. On occasion I have heard relatives say that Great Grandpa Joe Orshoski did not want Steve to marry Emma, so maybe that is why Grandpa Steve gave his parents' names as George and Thelma...but I will probably never know for sure! In my heart, I think that Grandpa Steve was born an Orshoski, as that was his name in Census Records, his death record, and on his tombstone.

Family History Details from a 60 Year Old Tax Return

My parents' first joint tax return was filed in 1951, for the year 1950, which was the year in which they were married. I ran across a copy of their 1040 form from that first tax return, which provided the address of their first apartment, at 436 Huron Avenue in Sandusky, Ohio.








Here is a picture of 436 Huron Avenue today. Mom said that in that first apartment, they had to share bathroom privileges with another couple who lived in the same building.






















Below is is listing of the places where my parents were employed. Mom was a typist at the Periodical Publishers' Service Bureau. Dad listed three different places of employment: National Distillers, Barr Rubber Products, and the Apex Electrical Manufacturing Company.













As often was the case, Mom told me a lot more about her first job, than Dad ever did. At Periodical Publishers, she made life long friends. Her co-workers attended her bridal and baby showers. After many years, Mom went back to work for Periodical Publishers for a time, following the death of my dad.












It is not clear to me how my dad could work three jobs in one year, but he always was a very hard worker! He definitely spent several years at Medusa Cement, and later as a plumber and a pipe fitter, but in 1950 he did not put in any time at either the cement plant or as a plumber. Though Apex has been out of business for many years, the company provided jobs for hundreds of Sandusky area residents in the 1930's and 1940's. Below is a picture of what remains of the Apex building in 2011.















Charitable giving was always a part of my parents' lives. In 1950 they made contributions to St. Paul's English Lutheran Church, Red Cross, Community Chest, Salvation Army, March of Dimes, Disabled American Veterans, T.B. Seals, and the United Fund. They were able to deduct fees for medical expenses, sales and gas tax, and license fees, including their drivers' licenses and marriage license. Dad was also able to deduct his union dues and the cost of his safety shoes.


















The final total of taxes paid by my parents to the United States Internal Revenue Service in 1950 totaled $342.46. While I so enjoyed traveling down the roads my parents traveled on in 1950 to view their former apartment, and see the location of a couple of their former places of employment, I still have so many questions that I wish I had asked them! Though they were saving for a down payment on their first house, did they ever go out to eat or to the movies? Who did they have over for company? I know that they often visited Mom's paternal grandparents, and maternal grandmother, since they lived in the same city. What did Dad do exactly at his three jobs? Who were his pals at work? Though many questions remain, it gave me joy to look at that sixty year old tax return, and think about my parents' hopes and dreams for the future from their first year of married life.

Sentimental Sunday: Aunt Bertie as a Young Mother

Recently my cousin Debbie scanned and emailed me this lovely family photo of my dad's sister Alberta, her first husband Luther Gantz, Sr., and their infant son named Luther Gantz, Jr. Alberta Orshoski was born on October 20, 1926, and she passed away on February 19, 1997. A previous blog post discussed my Aunt Bertie's many roles, as a Deputy Police Woman and co-owner of the Log Cabin Inn Restaurant. In the picture above, taken about 1945, Aunt Bertie's first husband Lute was still serving in the U.S. Navy during World War Two. Luther Gantz, Sr. passed away in Illinois in 1981. Bertie and Lute divorced, and both re-married.

Sadly, the baby in the photo, Lutie, passed away on October 5, 2010, at the age of 65. Lutie was an electrical engineer, and was very interested in computers and ham radio. He also was an EMT and a fire fighter for several years. An obituary for Luther "Lutie" Gantz appeared in the Sandusky Register.

Mom and Dad's Wedding Booklet

My parents, Paul and Joyce (Parker) Orshoski, were married in a small ceremony at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sandusky, Ohio on July 1, 1950. Rev. J. A. Griffith officiated at the wedding. Here is the cover of a small booklet from the day of their wedding ceremony.


















The witnesses were siblings of Paul and Joyce, Sally Parker and Wayne Orshoski.
(Note: The stamp from the National Pension Fund dated May 11, 1983, is an indication that the Pension Fund viewed this item, as proof of my parents' marriage, after the death of our dad in 1983.)
















Below is a list of the guests who attended the wedding. While I do not recognize every name, most are family, friends, and neighbors of Paul and Joyce and their extended families. Mr. and Mrs. Morris Johnson would later be my godparents.














Here's a listing of the gifts my parents received. The brand names of Sunbeam, Pyrex, and Revere Ware would be found in our family's kitchen for many years to come.














Mom and Dad are in Heaven now, but it was fun to look through this booklet, to learn a bit more about who was important to them on that very special day in 1950.

Still missing you, Dad and Mom!

Pictured above are my mom, Joyce Orshoski, family friend Bette, my dad, Paul Orshoski, Sr., and family friend Bill, at a school fund raising event in the 1970's. On Father's Day, I am reminded of how kind and compassionate and funny my dad was. He taught us how to live the Golden Rule, but always with a generous sense of humor! From 10 a.m. June 17 to 10 a.m. June 18, several family and friends of Paul and Joyce Orshoski participated in the local Relay for Life, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. (Several cancer survivors were on our team, and we walked in memory of several other cancer victims and survivors as well.) We won best campsite for our "Mash" theme site. Cancer claimed both of my parents, and it was heart-breaking to see them go downhill, because they both had lived life to the fullest. Missing you both, Mom and Dad!

Betty Ferrall Orshoski

Betty J. Ferrall was born to James E. and Audria Flick Ferrall in Galion, Ohio, on July 15, 1932. After her parents divorced, Betty moved with her mother to Bay View, Ohio, where Audria owned and operated the Log Cabin Inn Restaurant.(Audria would later remarry, becoming Mrs. Frank Deme.) Betty graduated from Margaretta High School in 1950. She was a good friend of Joyce Parker's, and the two friends would eventually marry brothers. Wayne and Betty Orshoski lived next door to Paul and Joyce Orshoski in Bay View in the 1950's and 1960's.During those baby boom years, Betty and Wayne had three children, and Paul and Joyce had six children.

Betty used to pack up her children, along with the nieces and nephews next door, into the Jeep, and off they would go to the beach, the park, or the dairy queen. Betty was a wonderful listener, and her door was always open for company. When the family dog named Tarzan had a litter of puppies, they quickly re-named the dog "Tarzana."

Sadly, Betty died at the age of 64 on June 8, 1997. She is buried with her husband Wayne at Meadow Green Memorial Park in Huron, Ohio. Known to many as "Aunt Bets," Betty Ferrall Orshoski will long be remembered as a loving person who had a wonderful sense of humor.