Family members are invited to share stories of grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, to add to our Steven Hollenczer tribute. Any remembrances you have of family members are welcome, and will be added to the appropriate pages! Please e-mail me with any stories you would like added to these pages.
The following are some of these remembrances, by Helen Weeks Hollenczer, Janice Weeks Hollenczer Bernath, Margaret Hollenczer Spatafore, Dorothy Hollenczer Dziomba, Steven Hollenczer Jr. and Pete Hollenczer III.
(Click on the thumbnail images or any of the name links to jump to the photo page)
Joey (Joe-Joe) Hollenczer Back Did You Think That Was All? MORE STORIES! Uncle John Stories Aunt Mary Stories Steve Hollenczer Stories Uncle Joe Stories Uncle Mike Stories Grandma Hollenczer Stories Aunt Anna Whitlow Stories Grandpa Hollenczer Stories Uncle Pete Stories
Another story related by Janice Hollenczer Bernath: Joe and Ginny and their first few kids lived for a
while in Levittown, PA, first in North Park, and later in Indian Creek, around the corner
from us.
Pop liked to tell a story about Joe-Joe, concerning a drive to Pennsylvania for work, when
everyone still lived in NY. Joey was driving, and they were approaching the tunnel; a
traffic cop was directing traffic this particular night, and his movements were such that Joe
wasn't sure what the policeman wanted him to do--first stop, then go, slow down, go
faster! So, Joey slowed to a stop, but the cop kept waving him ahead. The problem was,
the cop was in Joey's path, and Joe hit him! The guys in the car (my dad, and Steve
Meilinger among them) thought it was hysterically funny, but the cop didn't--after he got
up, though, he waved them on, saying "just get out of here!"
Margaret Hollenczer Spatafore remembers: "When we were kids, living in Levittown, after Joey and his family had moved to Maryland, they occasionally visited us. Their visits were usually during the Christmas holidays, on their way to or from New York, where they had visited Joey's parents. I always associate the smell of cigar smoke with Christmas, because of Joey's cigars. And his two oldest daughters, Evelyn and Sally, were close to me in age, so we had much fun playing games, playing with our dolls, and doing "girl stuff" when they visited. The greatest thing about their visits, though, was that each time they came, there was a new baby in the family! I looked forward to their visits, and I am so sorry now that I have lost touch with them. They had a wonderful family, so close and caring for each other."
Helen Weeks Hollenczer
Janice tells: "Once when I was talking about how much I hate trucks and their odors and things, she said that Dad had said, shortly after WW II that trucks would be the ruin of this country; they'd destroy the railroads, and ruin the roadways, and look how right he was!
"I asked Mom once if she and Dad ever had a "song". She said no, but laughed a little, and said that sometimes he'd sing "The Way You Look Tonight".
"When Mom and Dad got married, Dad had to borrow a Navy Uniform from a buddy. Dad was a Carpenter's Mate, and his friend was an Electrician's Mate, or something else. Dad always said he could have gotten into a lot of trouble for wearing a uniform and rating not his own, but I guess no one ever found out. I have Mom's wedding dress and hat, but not the shoes or gloves she wore, or the prayer book. I loved those shoes, and used them to play "dress-up" when I was a little kid. We still had them in PA, but at some point Mom got rid of them. She also had a pair of blue "mesh" shoes, a material that was popular in the 1950s. I loved those, too, but they're also gone. I do have two dresses Mom had in the 1950s; one was a sheer green-striped shirt-waist, that I altered to fit me. The other is a dress Aunt Anna Whitlow gave to Mom, which Aunt Anna was given by Mrs. Fox. I altered that one a little, too, and have worn both of them.
"When Dad was in the Pacific, I think it was after he and Mom married, 1944 or '45, Pop made Ma a "Sailor's Valentine". He explained to me once how he made it; it's a jewelry box. He said he gathered all the shells on the beach at Waikiki, matching them for color and size, and the stones, too. He also found sand in different shades. He built the box, set in the mirror, and attached green felt, inside the box, and on the bottom also. After he worked out the design, he glued all the shells and stones in place, and finished it with the sprinkled-on sand. It has "Helen" on the top, in a border design. Pop sent it home to Mom where she was living in Locust Valley, with her mother and family.
"I always loved that jewelry box when I was a child, and Mom gave it to me in 1993. I restored it, as well as possible, anyway. Mom had kept all of the shells and stones, at least most of them, as they fell off from the glue drying out over the years. I tried to substitute where I could, but some were impossible to match. One of the shells from "Helen" is missing, and I'm hoping to find a replacement for it. This jewelry box always reminded me of the peanut cookies we used to eat as kids, where the peanuts went around the cookie like a spiral. The best way to eat them was to bite the peanuts off one by one, then eat the plain cookie. YUM!!! Margaret and I both have other memories of other objects and those peanut cookies, or another cookie that had raised bumps and a scalloped edge, that was eaten the same way. The Gaffney's next door to us in NY had two posts at the end of their driveway, each topped with a concrete slab; the post was made with the rounded stones sticking out of the cement; called aggregate, I think. I used to love to feel each stone on those when I was little (and strange?).
"I once told Mom a couple of Hungarian jokes I was told at work; the others knew a friend of Hungarian descent and I loved to hear these jokes told as Hungarian jokes; they really are funny. I can only tell one here, since the other needs a vocal demonstration. The one we really laughed at though, was this: Why do Hungarians boil water when a woman is having a baby? The answer, of course, is, so they can have soup if it dies. In between gasping laughter, my Mom told me that was a terrible joke! But then, though she claims now she never said it, she told me we all took after the Hungarian side, and she wouldn't wish Hungarians on her worst enemy. Which also sent me into gales of laughter, and Margaret, Steve, Pete, and my Steve, too.
"On the 21st of January, 1999, Mom told me she had a dream, and Pop was in it. Briefly: he was sitting in front of the house in a van, in the back, all alone in the seat. He wasn't ALL the way in the back. No one was in the seat with him. The van was facing UP the street, towards Glasson's; Margaret was standing in the street talking to someone in the van, Mom said maybe to Dad, but he wasn't looking at anyone or smiling or waving; just sitting. Mom said that in the dream she was aware that Dad had already passed away. (This is only part of a bigger dream, involving dirty clothes, the dog and her behaving herself!!, and a picnic that was going to be held.) Then Mom said every time she goes upstairs she thinks she's going to see him there. Made me get misty. I said maybe his spirit's been there all this time. Maybe now she's coming to accept the loss, and that's what the dream represented. She's always dreamt about the family members who have died, in very interesting dreams.
"Pop wrote this letter to Mom, and to me, 14 July 1949. We were staying in Norfolk, VA, with his brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Marie.
Dear Helen and Janice,
Received your letter today was happy to hear from you. I'm glad to hear you and Janice are enjoying yourself. Helen, it rained all day Sunday and all of last nite it only rained a little the day you left.
I didn't work though I didn't feel like going back after I came home.
Helen, your hospitalization is due.I'll send it on to you and you can send in a check. I don't have the time to make out Money Orders after I get home from work. (over)
I also got a bill from the Nassau Hospital they want one week payment in advance they say they will refund the money if there is any coming back to you after they received the payment from Blue cross. It's $8.50 a day for you and 3.00 a day for the baby.
I don't think you care to hear about bills while you're suppose to be having a rest and I don't think you should. You asked if I've been going out the only place I've been to is work.
It sure is lonesome without you honey I didn't think I could miss you so much in a week and Janice to. I think about you both day and nite.
I don't believe I was ever so lonesome in my life as I was this past week. You better hurry home honey I need you and Janice to keep up my morale.
I almost forgot to tell you, Frankie and June are getting married on you're birthday.
Tell Janice daddy wants her home so that I can see her around the house and talk to her when ever I want to. Tell her I'll even buy her a book and take her to the Roslyn Park. I'm going to say bye for now. I'd love to kiss you good nite (over)
Please phone me up some nite I'd like to talk with you. No I haven't got anything important to talk about but if I can't see you at least I'd like to hear you and I also want to hear Janice say hello father. Good nite now honey hope to hear from you soon. All my love to you both always Give Janice a kiss and tell her its from Daddy and this one is yours sweetheart. I love you Helen good nite.
Your own, Steve
P.S. Tell Marie and Mike I was asking about them.
"Pop used two 3 cent stamps on the letter. Mike and Marie lived at 202 Dare Circle, Norfolk 13, Virginia, at this time.