The Life of Shirley (Raczkiewicz) Longwell

When Shirley Ann Raczkiewicz (my mother) was born on January 15, 1936, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, her father, Anthony, was 40, and her mother, Apolonia, was 31. Her family lived at 501 Milwaukee NW. Anthony worked as a machinist. Shirley was baptized at St. Adalbert Church on February 9 by Father Maksymowski The Godparents were Walter Świegocki and Victoria “Vicki” Palczewski. “Vicki” was her aunt, her mother’s sister, who had also moved to Grand Rapids. Shirley grew up with three siblings. Lorraine and Anthony were much older than her – 14 and 10 years older. Her brother Ronald was born in 1940 in Grand Rapids, Michigan when Shirley was four years old. Shirley’s siblings are now deceased. ***** FIRST COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION I believe this picture is from the first communion of Shirley Longwell (my mother.) All of her sacraments took place at St. Adalbert Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is pictured with her younger brother Ronald. I do not know who her sponsor was for this. ***** Her Godparents at her baptism were Walter Swiegoski and Victoria Palczewski. I do not know who Walter Swiegoski was. Victoria was her aunt. She had followed her sister Pauline Skrobat to Grand Rapids and they both married and lived there. ***** Shirleyś's confirmation sponsor was the daughter of another sister of her mother from OIl City, Pennsylvania. Eileen (Schossler) Gabreski (my 1rst cousin 1x removed) was Shirleyś confirmation sponsor. Her mother Mary (Skrobat) Schlosser was the sister of Pauline Raczkiewicz (Shirley´s mother and my grandmother.) In the late 1940s, Eileen was a student at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She always had high aspirations--in her high school yearbook it says she planned to enter Temple University and study medicine. Instead of traveling back to Pennsylvania for school holidays, she would visit with her Aunt Pauline and family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this way, Shirley got to know her older cousin.(She is in the second picture.) ***** ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Contrasting Shirley’s schooling with that of mine (Paulette- her oldest daughter, shows the similarities and differences in school and society for two different time periods as well as Shirley’s experience as part of the “Polonia” and mine as a typical student of parents born in the U.S. Shirley attended Catholic schools for first through twelfth grade and there probably was no question about her attending the Catholic school instead of the public school. My parents sent us to Covell Elementary in our neighborhood for kindergarten since St. Adalbert School started at first grade and did not have a kindergarten. They then sent all three daughters to St. Adalbert School for first through eighth grade. ***** Shirley went to St. Adalbert School through eighth grade. When she started school In September, 1945, it was nearly the end of the time period (1910 to 1945) which was the “Golden Age” of the Grand Rapids Polonia. “Polonia” refers to the Polish diaspora -- Poles who live outside of Poland.) St. Adalbert’sl had nearly 2,000 families so it was the largest parish in the Grand Rapids Diocese. For elementary school through 8th grade, I also attended St. Adalbert’s School beginning in 1964. Enrollment in Catholic schools in the Grand Rapids area would peak in 1965. ***** The church subsidized the school so there was no tuition when my Mom attended. Tuition started in 1957 for the high school and in 1965 for the elementary school. I started at St. Adalbert School in 1964 so my parents had to budget for that cost. I know my parents paid tuition for me and my sisters to attend and also needed to put more money in the weekly envelope to the church. Costs had increased because there were fewer sisters teaching and more lay staff. A third of the staff were lay teachers and the rest were Notre Dame sisters. Catholic schools still exist in Grand Rapids today but many have been closed or merged. ***** Shirley remembers walking a few blocks every day to get to school. The family lived near First St. and the school was on Fourth St. She had to cross one busy street -- Stocking Avenue -- to get there. When I was in kindergarten at the public school, the school was in the neighborhood, a few blocks away. I don’t remember walking there but likely my Mom walked me with my sisters coming along. For first grade, my parents taught me how to ride the city bus. Currently it would be uncommon for a first grader to ride the city bus alone in Grand Rapids. I didn’t know that my father followed it the first few times to make sure I got off at the right place. I did that pretty much reliably except I do remember one time that I was eavesdropping on some teenagers and I missed my stop by a few blocks on the way home. I was very nervous walking back even though I knew what to do. Later our Dad brought me and my sisters to school on his way to work. ***** On the census when Shirley was young, half or more of the adults in her inner westside neighborhood had immigrated from Poland. Ten years earlier when her older siblings were young, almost all their neighbors were immigrants -- mostly from Poland but other places like Germany also. Growing up, my family lived outside the neighborhood surrounding St. Adalbert. We were still within the city limits but on the farthest reaches of the westside. Our family was the only Catholic family among the families that we knew in the neighborhood. ***** Shirley was taught by Notre Dame nuns who wore full habits. When I attended, a third of the staff were lay teachers and the rest were Notre Dame sisters – some wearing full habits and veils and some wearing a shorter habit and veil. ***** When Shirley attended, Mass was celebrated every morning and there were prayers throughout the day. I started out with daily Mass but it was celebrated once per week by the time I graduated from eighth grade. Mass transitioned from Latin to English. ***** The school was important to this group of parents who were of a mostly peasant background in order to pass on their faith and traditions to their children. Since new immigrants mainly stopped coming by 1924, by the time Shirley attended school ,an important goal was Americanizing children and helping them succeed in the culture while holding on to their faith. While the parents may have wanted them to hold on more to the old ways, Shirley’s generation was more involved outside the Polish enclave. When she started in September of 1943, the first half of Shirley’s first grade year was taught in Polish, then the instruction transitioned to English. ***** Education at Catholic schools during this time period focused on religious education, citizenship, discipline and rote instruction. While the schools were moving toward a more American form, there was still a focus on religious instruction. Students learned grammar, reading, math, history and geography. Science was not emphasized until later. When I attended, the focus was not as much on maintaining a Catholic culture but more on religious and moral development and a high quality education. Because of Vatican II, which was not accepted by everyone, there was more of an emphasis on personal responsibility regarding faith. A fond memory is in 7th or 8th grade, our teacher who was a sister brought in albums of the rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber, “ Jesus Christ Superstar” which would have just come out. The new mission statement of the Diocese of Grand Rapids Catholic Schools: “ We prepare students to seek and fulfill God’s plan for learning and life.” ***** HIGH SCHOOL: In the Fall of 1950, Shirley began high school. Instead of being able to attend Catholic Central, her first two years were at the Catholic Central West Annex. It opened in 1944 for freshmen and sophomores on the west side of the river. The school was housed on the third floor of St. Adalbert School and was staffed by seven School Sisters of Notre Dame There was room there because of a drop in St. Adalbert School attendance after World War II ended and Catholic Central was full. Renovations would eventually increase its size and the building of West Catholic was still in the future. Father Maksymowski, the pastor of St. Adalbert had to respond to Bishop Francis J. Haas’ directive years earlier in 1951 to develop a “West Catholic Central.” ***** Apparently many of the early students resented this because of limited athletics and the desire to have more freedom to leave the neighborhood and meet students from other areas. By the time Shirley attended, the school and its reputation had grown and students from all over the city would attend dances there. Surprisingly since this was before the freeway, many who came had never seen the beautiful church and large buildings surrounding it. ***** While it probably did not occur to her family to send Shirley to the public high school, my parents gave us a choice for high school between West Catholic and Union High School. I chose the public high school, Linda briefly chose West Catholic then transferred to Union and Lori chose Union. ***** In 1952, Shirley began her junior year at Catholic Central. The renovated building was completed that year. Lay teachers made up 21% of the faculty (the year before) as fewer teaching sisters were available. The culture shock for Shirley was that the Catholics from the east side of the city were much wealthier and she didn’t feel like the kids from the westside were well accepted but instead looked down upon. . For me, culture shock came in 9th grade with my first experience with racially integrated schools which was accomplished with court mandated bussing since the residential areas were still pretty segregated. ***** Catholic Central High school was organized into nine departments: religion, math, science, English, history/social studies, foreign languages, business, physical education, and fine arts. When I was in high school there were separate college prep or vocational track classes. Amazingly, we still took aptitude tests which told us which “male” or “female” careers would best suit us. We had the option of different electives than she had such as Psychology. ***** Shirley rode the city bus from the west side of the city over the river to the east side in downtown Grand Rapids. In ninth grade, I had a school bus to West Middle and then in high school, we had to make our own way to the high school. ***** FIRST JOB AND CAREER Shirley Longwell worked her first job at a parking garage in downtown Grand Rapids beginning in high school. Her boss was good to her and sometimes gave her a ride home so she didn’t have to take the bus in the dark. The 'new' Wurzburg's of 1951 was a collection of several older buildings,as well as a "Parking Pavilion" across Ottawa Avenue NW. http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2010/11/f-w-wurzburg-co-grand-rapids-michigan.html ***** After high school, she trained to be an X-Ray Technician at St. Mary’s Hospital and worked there until she became pregnant in 1958. She found out from her sister-in-law Ceil, a surgical nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan that an x-ray course was being offered. She was one of three students accepted. When the three students took their final exam, (probably downtown at Ferguson Hospital), all three of them flunked. Shirley was the only one who retook the exam and she passed and continued at St. Mary’s. ***** Shirley was nervous and said she “shivered” around Dr. Benson, who would stop to grill them on how many bones in a part of the body or the name of a bone.She also remembers his kindness in letting her go for a week to Pennsylvania when her cousin Eileen Schlosser married Ted Marchibroda, a quarterback in the NFL who was later a coach. At one point he told her to come in at 9am instead of 8am because she was tired since she still worked at the parking garage. ***** Dr Benson also gave the students meal punch cards when he discovered fellow student Mary Jane from Mount Pleasant who lived in an apartment downtown, was bringing mayonnaise sandwiches to work. Unlike Shirley who continued to work at the parking garage, Mary Jane wasn’t working. Receiving a meal card was fair though since they were already working as part of their internship. ***** MARRIAGE During the time she was at St. Mary’s, Shirley was dating Paul Plasman. It was 1957, and Paul and Roy Longwell (my father) were living on their sailboat Kismet at Bay Haven in Holland, Michigan as they restored it. Shirley often visited the marina because her older sister Lorraine and her husband, John Dykstra had a boat in a slip at the Singapore Yacht Club in Saugatuck Michigan, where they enjoyed an active social life. ***** Paul was in a serious car accident and Shirley remembers Roy taking her up to see him at the hospital. Sometime after that (and we don’t hear any of the details!), Shirley and Roy were dating, with Paul’s blessing. Paul recovered and went on to marry someone else and started “Bill and Paul’s Sporthaus” with a friend in 1961. Paul was his best man when they were soon married at St. Adalbert’s Church, October 26, 1957. Paul recovered and went on to marry and start Bill and Paul’s Sporthaus with his friend Bill Pearson in 1961. ***** Since Roy wasn’t a Catholic, Shirley and Roy needed to promise to raise their children as Catholics. Shirley didn’t know that Roy was taking classes to be a Catholic as a surprise to her and she would have waited to get married if she had known. Shirley signed an “Ante Nuptial Agreement, Non Catholic Party” on September 19, 1957 which indicated that if she were given permission to marry a non-Catholic, that the couple would raise their children as Catholic. ***** Like her sister Lorraine, Shirley was part of the first generation of the children of Polish immigrants to marry outside of Polish Catholicism, though her husband Roy did later convert to Catholicism and embraced many of the social customs of the westside Polish people. Later Roy was confirmed when his daughter Paulette (me!) was confirmed. ***** From the newspaper: “Shirley married Roy Howard Longwell October 26, 1957 in Michigan. when she was 21 years old at St. Adalbert Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Parents of the bride were Anthony and Paulina Raczkiewicz from Grand Rapids, Michigan and parents of the groom were Leo and Naomi Longwell from Lake Odessa, Michigan. Maid of honor was Miss Dorothy Karas and best man was Mr. Paul Plasman. Bridesmaids were Miss Rosemary Host, Mrs. John Dykstra, Miss Sandra Dykstra, Miss Patricia Wysocki. Ushers were Ronald Raczkiewicz, Mr. John Dykstra, Jr., Mr. Anthony Raczkiewicz, Jr. Ring bearer was. Michael Lyon and miniature bride was Yvonne Denise Raczkiewicz. A breakfast was held at St. Hyacinth’s Hall with a reception in the evening. The couple resided at 115 Madison Avenue, Grand Rapids, Michigan after their honeymoon in North Dakota.” ***** Shirley continued to work at St. Mary’s until after she was married and once she discovered she was pregnant. Because there was little in the way of protection from radiation, she often wondered if daughter Paulette’s (me) left undeveloped optic nerve was a result. While gloves and gowns and meters were introduced when Dr. Shay joined the staff, she still remembers carrying a bucket of radium up to surgery when she was pregnant. While the eye nerves develop early in utero, possibly before Shirley knew she was pregnant and quit, first pregnancies and low maternal weight gain are other possibilities among many. A pregnancy related practice at that time according to Shirley was for the expectant mother to limit their weight gain. She would go with a friend for a malted milkshake AFTER her weigh-in and complained she was starving during her pregnancy. ***** FAMILY: Roy owned a convertible but family life required him to get rid of the boat and the convertible. His wife’s brother Ronnie enjoyed borrowing it until it was sold. ***** Roy and Shirley’s first daughter, Paulette (me!, was born in 1958, followed by LInda in 1961 and Lori in 1963. When Paulette was three years old, the family moved from the little house on Milwaukee Street, which was in the yard of Shirley’s parent’s house--to their own home at 1837 Milford NW, Grand Rapids, MI. ***** Shirley was a full-time mother until daughter Paulette (me) was in high school in the early 1970s. She stayed very busy caring for her family including sewing, cooking, house cleaning, laundry, and care of their children. Shirley was a mother who actually said all the stereotypical mother phrases such as “wear clean underwear since you don’t want to end up in the hospital with dirty underwear.” One time her daughter Lori clipped the elastic in hers several times to prevent discomfort. When they went through the wash and were ruined, Shirley was very frustrated. Buying shoes, school uniforms and other things for three daughters was expensive and Shirley tried to make sure things lasted as long as possible. ***** Shirley made many clothes for herself and all three of us girls--everything from prom dresses, coats, and other things. She would buy or borrow a Simplicity or McCall Pattern and lay out the material on the dining room table. Her sister Lorriane and her often worked on projects together. For instance, they each made a felt Christmas tablecloth that had ornate ornaments festooned with rickrack, beads, and other decorations. I think Lorriane helped with the smocking in the three red dresses pictured above. As the oldest, I wore these for the least amount of time. Once outgrown by one of the sisters, the dress was passed down from Paulette to Linda to Lori. Lori must have worn this dress for many years! A gift of a better sewing machine from Roy was treasured. ***** Making meals was a time-consuming process. There were very few conveniences. Burning feathers off the raw chicken, using a gas burner on the stove was part of the process of making dinner. Everything was pretty much homemade. Breakfast would include milk which was delivered to the back porch into a silver milk box for many years. School and work lunches were packed while everyone ate and got ready for school or work. A full dinner was served every night after Roy got home from work with all of the family at a small table in the kitchen. A special meal would be served on Sunday in the dining room and often family visitors came over for dinner or visited on Sunday afternoon after church. There were very few conveniences. City chicken from Levandowski’s Meat Market, on Stocking Avenue, would be a special treat. Meat from the meat market and Polish rye bread from American Bakery, on Bridge Street, was always a part of every holiday meal. On Sundays, because we had a big dinner after church, our supper in the evening would be something smaller. Homemade hot fudge sauce to pour over vanilla ice cream was a favorite for these casual Sunday night suppers. Shirley still makes this sauce, using a candy thermometer to ensure it isn’t soupy or rock hard. Another Sunday night favorite was hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls with a piece of cheese and baked in the oven. It was the only meal of the week eaten in the living room while watching some favorite TV programs together. While all her baked goods were (and still are) very good, she is really known for her pies and her pie crusts. She knows every trick to rolling out a perfect crust. She can tell you why egg whites might not rise when whipped and she scolds you when you keep nibbling on the raw cookie batter. ***** House cleaning and laundry also took a lot of time. Even though they had a clothes dryer, Shirley carried heavy laundry out to the backyard clotheslines where it was hung with wooden clothespins. Clothes that needed to be ironed like St. Adalbert’s uniform blouses for three girls and Roy’s work shirts, were sprayed with water and rolled up until it was time to iron. The ironing board was set up in the basement near the washer, dryer, and washtub. ***** EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS Family years were filled with family and friends. After his marriage, Roy embraced Catholicism, Polish ethnic activities and the Raczkiewicz family. Sunday visits to parents-in-law Anthony and Pauline Raczkiewicz were a common occurrence. Sending their children, Paulette, Linda and Lori to the nearby American Bakery would have them trying to remember the order during the several block walk--”Pumpernickel rye, thin sliced”--and promptly forget what to order when asked. ***** Visits and holidays with extended family were parts of daily life. Tony and Ceil Raczkiewicz visited after church frequently. These were special times where traditions were developed such as the annual Family Christmas Party that began at John and Lorraine Dykstra’s house. It rotated various years among the other Raczkiewicz family, including Roy and Shirley, Ron and Pam Raczkiewicz, Tony and Ceil Raczkiewicz, and Don and Sandy Spruit. All the aunts and uncles hosted several times and eventually the next generation did as well. All the cousins enjoyed getting together and the tradition continued until the last few years. ***** Holiday meals are very important for family traditions. Shirley’s Easter menu are all foods that can be made ahead and everyone can eat when they get to her house. She remembers when a basket of food was brought to church to be blessed but that is no longer a tradition. Meat figures prominently in the menu. She buys nine pounds of ham with some of it thinly sliced, kielbasa for $4.00 per pound (2011 prices) from Ralph’s Market on Leonard Street. Other years the kielbaska has been purchased from 20th Century Meat Market, Levandoski’s Meat or Frank’s Market on Fulton St. She starts the kielbasa in a large pan at 11:00 a.m. after returning from church. It will come to a boil after 20 to 25 minutes and then she will let it cook another 20 minutes before browning it in an electric fry pan. We used to have thinly sliced rye bread from American Bakery, but since they closed it is a challenge every year to get just the right bread. Roy (my father) normally would have peeled all the potatoes for the potato salad but at some point Lori and Marissa (my sister and niece) started coming over to do it. Grandma Raczkiewicz (Pauline) always thought the potato salad needed more salt and often Shirley will think something is lacking -- maybe mustard?--or that there is too much onion. But it is hard to tell until it has been chilled, she said, “It’s got to get cold, it’s not good until it is cold.” ***** Mom’s Potato Salad Recipe Potatoes, peeled and chopped (6) Hard cooked eggs (8) Celery, finely chopped (1 ½ cups) Radishes (a few) Onion, finely chopped (one, very small) Green pepper, finely chopped (two strips) Mayonnaise (one cup) Sugar (1 Tablespoon) Mustard A lot of salt and pepper Cook potatoes in boiling water until a fork can go in easily. Remove from the water and cool. After cool, cube the potatoes. Add the celery, radishes, onion and green pepper and mix. Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper and fold into the ingredients. Chill before serving. ***** Other items on the menu include hard boiled eggs, horseradish and lamb shaped butter. Shirley always bought the butter from one of the nuns that made it who were connected with St. Adalbert Church. Desserts vary a little year to year. One year my sister LInda made a decorated bunny cake. A homemade apple pie might be baked for the occasion. Often she will make something sweet the day before with granddaughter Marissa and have her help put on the table cloth and set the table. ***** Every year Shirley bakes cookies for Christmas. Some of her favorites to make are classic spritz cookies (using a cookie press), magic bars, a Dutch Banket recipe she got from a neighbor, Dutch sand cookies and meringue cookies. She usually has cut out a new recipe from a magazine or the newspaper to add to the collection. It is usually a multiple day operation with her having help from various people. For years, that help was me and my son Thomas but it has included other family members. This year she made cookies with granddaughter Marissa. ***** Family time included lots of camping in Newgo, Croton Dam, Wisconsin Dells, Traverse City, Cedar Point and various other places with Don and Sandy Spruit and Pam and RonRaczkiewicz, along with all their kids. Hilarity around a roaring campfire was a highlight of the trips along with lots of fishing. One trailer was destroyed when a tree fell on it and another one was destroyed by a fire. Roy and Shirley eventually purchased a cottage near Croton Dam. They enjoyed using their pontoon boat. ***** Neighborhood friends June Bowman and Tutti Kutchin would share a recipe or a bit of gossip in the yard or come in for coffee. Friends Rose and George Moore were frequent card playing visitors. Card playing also occurred at the various halls--Sixth Street and NInth Street in particular--sometimes with a daughter (or three!) in tow who enjoyed plenty of orange pop. Shirley might have dinner waiting at home so that could be a source of conflict. Visits to Eloise and Edmund Lyon, Roy’s sister and brother-in-law, in Grand Rapids and eventually Florida were part of the fun. Jeannie Brown, Roy’s niece, lived with the family while going to nursing school which gave their three daughters an opportunity to get to know her as a role model. ***** RETURN TO WORK Her return to work in the early 1970’s was a surprise to everyone. She had not been looking for a job or interviewing. A former co-worker who had remained a friend, recommended her for the x-ray technician job at Alpine Medical Center when he was moving on to another position. Her job necessitated a second car for the family. Daughter Paulette was in high school so the three girls were old enough to stay alone. She worked until eventually the medical practice contracted out their radiology. She remains friends with many of the co-workers from this job and attends their regular luncheon get-togethers. Shirley worked for a few years after that at Michigan Bulb until she retired. —--------------------------- History of Catholic education in GR--GR info starts p. 61 (p. 72 of PDF) https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1092&context=theses History of Polish immigrants/churches in GR https://www.therapidian.org/history-polish-immigrants-churches-and-aid-societies-westside The Rise and Fall of the Grand Rapids Polonia (https://dutchamericans.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/1993_07_skendzel.pdf The First Hundred Years: The Basilica of St. Adalbert http://www.mipolonia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/St.-Adalbert_1881-1981_Grand-Rapids_MI.pdf