Edmund "Ernie" Francis Myszka Jr.

Edmund "Ernie" "Ed" Myszka, Jr., decided that he had grown tired of the cancer nonsense that had been plaguing him for almost eleven years. He would just get rid of one cancer and another followed in its place. This last one was a doozy too! Ernie always described himself as a "moving target" because he was never easy to find. He would rather be out on his five acres of wooded land with a 22’ cliff that led down to a creek rather than hang out around the house. Sadly, this last cancer finally caught up with him. He said his last goodbye while in my arms early Monday morning in the home we built together 26 years ago.

He was emphatic about being in his own home and in his own bed when he left this world. Mainly because he didn't like to travel, and he figured that he might as well get the most use out of our new hybrid, adjustable mattress, recently purchased at a NFM 4th of July sale. Of course, I complied. Ernie was always able to get his way because he had valid reasons as to why and how, backed up with diagrams, resources and notes, which were usually written on the backs of envelopes or old grocery lists because he didn't want to waste a good piece of paper or crack open a brand new note pad.

Ernie came into the world with great fanfare in May of 1946. He was the oldest child of Rose Mary Hains and Edmund Francis Myszka, and the oldest grandchild of Madonna and Phillip Hains. When his Aunt Mert saw him in the hospital, she said he was too tiny for such a big name and said that he looked more like an Ernie. This nickname would end up causing a bit of confusion in his adult years too. A year and a half later he was joined by his sister and best buddy, Jann. She adored her big brother and would often refer to him as the "Golden Child." When Ernie was ten, his brother, David, joined the family. Together, Ernie and Jann perfected the art of tormenting a sibling, e.g., putting shrunken heads in his dresser drawer or hanging him upside down over the toilet bowl, all to keep him from tattling on them. This could possibly have been the starting point of Ernie's highly regarded troubleshooting skills.

The Myszkas were parishioners of St. Peter's Cathedral in Kansas City, Kansas, where Ernie served as an Altar Boy. He attended elementary school there, participated in CYO sports and was a Boy Scout. He even kept his “How To Tie Knots” scout book and he used his skills frequently, even honing them with practice strings hanging from his workbench stool. If you were ever in need of anything that involved tying knots, Ernie was your go-to guy. During the latter part of his grade school years he started his first job at McCarty's Market across the street from the church. He told many stories about life in St. Peter's neighborhood and a few referred to his ability to use common sense and logic. If you ever needed to escape a swarm of wasps, he was most assuredly your go-to guy. He once was with his neighborhood buddies and was the only one with the skills to escape unscathed.

Bishop Ward High School was his next stop and the most important because he met me, a member of the sophomore class and an "older woman looking for a man" as his mother would soon call me. He wasn’t much into joining clubs but he loved Ward and his Class of ‘64. Math and science were his main interests. He, along with his father, built a huge telescope that earned him a featured article in the school newspaper. His quest for knowledge in these subjects would continue throughout his life, creating lots of after dinner discussions. Aliens, as

well as quantum physics, were this year's topics and, as usual, I was completely lost. Classmates would later recall how Ernie was their go-to guy for anything math or science.

Ernie didn’t care for team sports, much to his father’s chagrin. Eddie played football at Ward himself and was hoping for a football player son. Ernie tried but told his dad that he was too tall and lanky for football and would easily break if tackled. So, he gave baseball a shot. As he told the story, that only lasted until he put on the wool uniform. Since he was good at running (remember the wasps) he joined the track team and realized that individual sports were his thing. He was already a member of Wyandotte Swim Club’s swim team and really enjoyed it. His specialty was the breaststroke and he looked great doing it too! It was on July 10th in 1962 that I saw him goofing around with his friends in the pool and made it a point to be noticed. It worked! He pulled out his best romantic move, turned me upside down and held my feet above the water. It was true love and we have been together ever since. If you ever needed unique tips on how to romance a girl, Ernie was most definitely your go-to guy.

After high school graduation, he attended Donnelly College. That was short-lived when his theology teacher gave a 300+ page reading assignment that he expected to be completed by the next day. When Ernie questioned his ability to read that many pages Father flunked him, so he walked out and never looked back. That event caused a spur-of-the-moment decision to enter the workforce full time. Pierce & Tarry Hardware was his first full-time job, then Ball's Market on 18th Street shortly after we were married. He then worked at Falconer’s Furniture before pursuing a lifetime career in electrical construction following in my father’s footsteps. Ernie signed on to the KCJATC program and he turned out in three and a half years as a Journeyman Inside Wireman. Since 1970 he has been a proud member of IBEW L.U. 124 and was known as "Ed" by the membership. That nickname was born when Ernie grew tired of correcting fellow co-workers who would shorten his name to Ed. This became an issue as my father was an Ed and I really did not like this new nickname. So, if you are looking for tips on how to really annoy your wife forever, your go-to guy was definitely Ernie or Ed, or whatever you called him.

In 1988 he and his buddy, Kenny, started up EMKC Electric. The business was very successful but Ernie said he would never be rich because he was too honest. He loved running his own business but the decision was made to close in 2000. He decided to take on the job as an instructor at the KCJATC. He earned a few degrees in the first few years, worked on the VICA program and he volunteered for Christmas in October. He found that he enjoyed teaching and he especially loved passing on his knowledge to those who wanted to learn. He retired in 2007 and looked forward to spending quality time at home. Even in retirement he still went back to the school to visit his boss and fellow instructors. Ernie was absolutely your go-to guy on how to be a great employee, co-worker, successful teacher and a great friend to anyone that accepted him as their friend.

He loved walking his own property, feeding the wildlife, watching the hummingbirds, cutting trails through the woods, riding his UTV, cutting down trees, and even mowing the grass with his zero-turn mower. He really liked that mower too! If a fallen tree needed cut up or a dead tree taken down, Ernie was your go-to guy. He certainly had a special relationship with his chainsaw. Don’t worry about any accidents either because he honed his skills six years ago when he dropped one over our garage. I was in the kitchen and it sounded like a tree hit our house. It did! He blamed it on an internet guy who said the old-fashioned way of cutting down a tree was wrong. Evidently, it wasn't. Lesson learned!

Ernie was not a vacation type of person. He was a homebody and an outdoorsy kind of guy. Bird hunting, which he started in high school, was part of his life. He especially loved the scenery and hanging out with the guys. This passion was most likely inherited from his 3x great-grandparents who were Mohawk Indians, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. His 3x great-grandfather was a scout for fur trappers and was known to have fought off five grizzly bears at one time. Like his ancestor, Ernie fought off his own grizzlies in the form of cancer. Besides his Indian ancestry and his Polish roots, Ernie was also a descendant of an Irish shipbuilder and a German boot and shoe maker who settled in the small Kansas town of Wyandotte in the 1850s, opening his own storefront and becoming mayor. Like his ancestor, Ernie had his own business and he was a steadfast member of the community. His heritage was rich in traditions, values, work ethic and was also responsible for how he came to be. It was a large part of what made him such a remarkable individual. How he lived his life and the character he built, adds to the heritage he leaves his children and grandchildren. He was without a doubt the go-to expert on how to live your life to the fullest.

Family was his priority! Ernie loved having family visit, including mine, especially during the summer on the deck. He was more into giving of his time and talents than he was into giving gifts. But, when he did give a gift, it was memorable. My favorites were the plastic Chinese back scratcher, the wooden massager that looks like a whale on wheels and the pretty, wooden heirloom jewelry box that he gave me for Christmas in 1964. I still have them all! He did love Christmas and he delighted in giving unusual, gently used gifts that he bought from his jukebox buddy. Each year it was a surprise as to who all would receive a special gift from Grandpa. A few memorable ones were the die cast Uncle Sam mechanical coin bank, the collapsible dog bowl, the pin-up girl ashtray and the oh so special plastic flushing toilet bank. Ernie was oh so definitely your go-to guy on how to give the perfect gift that would be cherished by the receiver forever, and be easy on the wallet.

Hosting parties was his thing! He had a huge catalogue of songs and knew how to entertain with music. Summer parties by the pool, Fall wienie roasts around the fire pit and Christmas parties were all annual events. His garage turned into a rec room looked especially festive during the holidays with all of his jukeboxes, many neon signs and his red, ‘59 Dodge sofa with a chrome wheel coffee table, all lit up and shining brightly. Then there was his Ernie-themed Christmas tree. True love is letting your wife put up a Christmas tree in your rec room when she already has one in every other room in the house. Besides knowing how to entertain, he knew his jukeboxes, even designing his one-of-a-kind digital Raspberry Pi jukebox. Many people sought him out for repairs and he was a well respected member of the jukebox community. Ernie was your go-to guy if you wanted to know anything about Rock 'n Roll music and, most definitely, anything jukebox!

In 2007 Ernie decided to take on the fun job of organizing his Ward Class of ‘64 reunions. Besides the yearly August gatherings, he chaired and helped plan the 50th reunion, which was the biggie, and he did a whopper of a job. It will go down in history as the most impressive reunion event of any Ward class ever, not only because of his great organizational skills, but because he had the best reunion committee and classmates anyone could ask for. Ernie had a knack for knowing how to please people and was able to accomplish that goal with pizazz. He was for sure your go-to guy if you needed to plan a gathering of any kind and have a fun time doing it. His smile was huge, his laugh was contagious, and he was definitely the life of the party!

Even during his last few days he was able to make his kids laugh, all at my expense. He knew I loved it! He was very proud of his children, who will carry on his legacy and take care of their mother: Bryan Sr. & Charlene Myszka, Lori & Thomas Moore, Jason Myszka & fiancé Tonya and Kathleen & Rob Morrow. Ernie was especially proud of his twelve grandchildren and their children. He loved spending time with them and even learned how to use FaceTime with the two little ones, Laine and Karter, whom he never got to hug. Grandkids: Nicolas Myszka, Bryan Myszka Jr. and Jeff & Kallie Myszka, parents of newborn Karter Rose; Brett & Julie Rees and their kids, Brennan, Brayden & Mia; Rebekah Rees and her boys, Jude & Laine; Zachary & Kayla Moore, son Cayden and 3-month-old twin girls, Alethea and Atlas; Shana (Myszka) & Kyle Seneker and their kids, Owen, Isaac and Gracie; Jaycee Myszka & Joey her fiancé, Keeley Myszka & fiancé Dom and E-3 A1C Jacob Myszka & his fiancé Taylor; Zayne Morrow & Taylor, his longtime girlfriend, and Blake Morrow; our step-grandkids, Brittany Moore (Peter) Cassidy and their kids, Sophea, Peter & Braelyn, and Ashley Moore (Ben) Miller and their kids, Abigail, Matthew & Lillian.

Ernie loved spending time with his family, especially his siblings, Jann Myszka Butcher and David Myszka; and his dear Aunt Margaret “Mert” (Hains) Pyle; as well as his many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews and cousins.

Besides the humans in Ernie's life, there is Curly and Moe, our blue headed pionus parrots, whom Ernie has been #1 to for 24 years. And his faithful, 16-year-old French Brittany hunting dog, Buddy, who always looked forward to Ernie's specially prepared doggy dinners. They will all miss him so very much. It's really tough losing your #1 person!

Waiting in Heaven for him will be our baby, Ethan John, who was moved from his resting place in Mount Calvary where he has been for the last 46 years, and will be at rest with his father in Chapel Hill. Also there to greet him will be his parents, Rose Mary and Eddie; baby sister, Mary; grandparents, Madonna "Mawmaw" and Phil "Bompa" Hains; grandparents, Stella Rose and John Myszka; great-grandfather, William "Boboo" Graves, and my parents, Edward "Ed" and Lois (Wells) King, whom he dearly loved and greatly admired.

Ernie always looked forward to our dear friends’ annual New Year’s Eve party, so please make sure to toast his memory when ringing in 2022. If you're choosing the hard stuff, he'd prefer you toasted with a cheap whiskey that's on sale of course. He said it’s just as good. Make it a diet orange soda pop if you are diabetic and buy Best Choice, it's cheaper. On sale, of course! Throw in a Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom ice cream sandwich to top it off. He was a big fan of them and was a bit ticked that the shelf was always empty when they were on sale. I finally found them and he was able to enjoy his favorite sweet treat for the last time a few days before he left us forever. He was so grateful and his smile was priceless! And, please, make sure to party with loads of carbs. Ernie said that having diabetes really sucked and foods without carbs did too!

You’re invited to his last party and make sure you dress casually, in anything old just like he did. I still have a stack of nice shirts that he had been saving for good. He will be wearing his signature suspenders, with a belt of course. He would want you to smile and be happy that he is finally free of all the cancers that have plagued him for eleven years. Ernie made sure that we will never forget him because he left us with over a dozen to do lists that he dictated himself. Then there are the many pieces of paper with his own handwritten notes that we keep finding. Ernie, Ed, or whatever you called him, was authentic, unique, wise and memorable, and we are all so blessed to have had him in our lives. He was our hero!

Ernie's life story was written by me, Judy, his loving spouse of 56 years and his constant companion and soulmate for almost 60 years. His passing made me feel somewhat like I felt back when we were dating. I would run to my bedroom dormer window to watch him leave for home and cried as he drove down the street. This time watching him leave for his heavenly home was the end of our life-on-earth story and undoubtedly the saddest and most heartbreaking chapter.

It has been an honor and a privilege to be Ernie's wife. This is just a small token of my heartfelt love and deep devotion that I will cherish always. We laughed a lot, loved each other deeply, and complemented each other perfectly. I praise God and thank Him for the privilege and gift of marriage and the joy that came from sharing our life together. This tribute expresses my infinite love, utmost respect, deepest gratitude and sincere admiration for the love of my life and the most incredible human being that I have ever known. I love you beyond words!

In Ernie's famous, farewell quote to his grandkids whenever they left for home: "Glad you got to see me!"