23 August 1915 – 29 June 2016
Our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Godmother, aunt and friend, Olga Nowak passed away peacefully on June 29, 2016 at 1:15 PM. After contracting and recovering from pneumonia in late April and early May her body was unable to bounce back despite her strong will to live. A friend wrote me and said, “In spite of appearances, even Ollie was mortal.” Another said, “It’s the end of an era.” Both of these thoughtful comments brought a smile of appreciation for her life and the friendships that she had. She lost the battle yesterday but won the war in that she touched and enriched so many people on her remarkable and energetic journey through life. Last August our entire family and many friends gathered to celebrate her 100th birthday. I gave her a toast, which summarizes some of the wonderful things about this remarkable human being. I share it with you here.
With love and affection, In lieu of flowers you may make a contribution to John Knox Village or a charity of your choice.
The Nowak Family
Ollie at 100, August 8th, 2015
Today we celebrate 100 years of Ollie – more than any of us have lived, some combined. To think of what she has seen and experienced in her lifetime. My goodness!
As a child Ollie got her priorities straight. She pocketed her carfare money for school and walked home so she could stop by the pastry shop.
The depression came. She spent long days in retail. The floorwalker who would never let her lean against the counter much less sit. After the depression she would never set foot in a GC Murphy again. Her mother’s house – a haven for starving musicians, actors and others during the depression. They would take anyone in.
The depression made a lasting impression on Ollie. To this day she has the largest collection of rubber bands, twist ties, and plastic bags than anyone I know.
The loss of a brother at an early age and consoling her inconsolable mother who wanted to throw herself off the roof she was so distraught. She helped raise her younger brother, Ziggy, and was there for him whenever he needed help to the end of his days, even when it compromised her own health.
She lived in Batavia and worked in Rochester and had a penchant for speed as she was always running late. She managed to avoid many speeding tickets by turning on her charm with the police officers. The long red hair didn’t hurt.
Ollie’s mother took in a border that worked the night shift in a steel mill in Buffalo. There was competition for the bathroom in the morning as he would come home and need to bathe just as Ollie was getting ready for work. Guess who won?
The border was Matthew Nowak. To say that Ollie was not at all interested in this man is an understatement. During the war Matt went out to California and worked for Curtiss aircraft. He was about to become a soldier but when passing an aircraft noticed a design flaw and offered a suggestion. He was spared the battlefield and ended up designing aircraft during the war. Subsequently he designed for Eastman Kodak, including working on classified projects aboard submarines and for space.
Ollie decided to take a road trip to California with a girlfriend. She bade her boyfriend, Robert Nowak, farewell. They had a tempestuous yet passionate relationship. On a whim, she looked up Matt while in California. Inexplicably, they eloped in Yuma ten days later. Matt knew what he wanted and got it. Robert was crushed. I’m sure that Ollie broke many hearts.
Ollie and Matt had three boys, the three R’s. Richard, Ronald and Robert. She worked for educational institutions, which added to the family income and put all of us through college.
Ollie loved the theatre and music as did her brothers. They got this from their mother, who was a stage and radio actress. She took me to see “Little Me” in Rochester with Sid Caeser playing multiple roles. I became hooked on theatre. We saw and met Arthur Rubenstein at Eastman. I saw Igor Stravinsky there. I attribute my interest in theatre, music and dance to Ollie, my Uncle Matt, and a distant cousin, Tom Kozalka.
Ollie has always been there for family, friends and total strangers. I remember vividly stopping at a rest stop on the New York State Thruway. Ollie disappeared into the ladies room for a long time. There was a woman who was sick and while everyone else ignored her Ollie refused to leave until she received medical attention.
She was a “secretary” in the office of SUNY Oswego in Rochester. They had a program in industrial teacher training. Her bosses were AWOL most of the time and she basically ran the place. Many of the graduates of the program would have never made it through without Ollie’s help and encouragement. The extent of her involvement in their lives was exhibited by the outpouring of love at her retirement party.
She cared for Matt, our father, for two years while he struggled with cancer. As if this wern't’t enough she helped her neighbor care for his wife who had Alzheimer’s and had a habit of sneaking up on Ollie in her condo and scaring the living daylights out of her. The woman probably didn’t know who Ollie was at that point but knew that she could get comfort there.
After Dad died Ollie would visit all of us, Rich, Ron and Me. She would drive from Washington to Atlanta (660 miles) and on to Florida (another 660 miles) by herself well into her 80’s. At about 93 we decided that driving might not be a great idea and she moved to John Knox Village where she has met many friends and has had exceptional care. She was adamant about not leaving Leisureville and moving here but finally gave in. A month later she said, “Why didn’t I do this ten years ago?” That’s my Ollie.
Ollie loved the theatre. We would make an annual trip to Broadway to see several shows. We continued to do this even when it required pushing a wheel chair through Time’s Square on theatre night. I would push and she would yell, “Comin’ through!” It was like Moses parting the Red Sea.
Five years after Dad died Ollie met Bill Johns at the Polish American club. They both loved to dance. They ended up spending a wonderful decade together in Florida and summering in Rehoboth Beach with David and me. They brought out the best in each other. I’m sure that the Southern Comfort Manhattans didn’t hurt.
Ollie has continued to be there for family and friends over the years. You know who you are and we all know how generous she has been to all of us. Friends from New York City, as well as locals, who spent many a Polish night in Rehoboth with Ollie came to celebrate today. Ollie would make all of the classical Polish dishes; pierogi, golombki, polish sausage, sauerkraut, Polish mushroom soup, Harvard beets, and boiled red parslied potatoes. What else would you eat in August when it’s 98 degrees?
Ollie has been a Red Cross volunteer, a volunteer at her church, a clown, which comes naturally, and I am sure many other things that I don’t even know about. She touches everyone she meets and has amazed us all with her wonderful life. So let us toast her today and sing Sto Lat – a Hundred Years. Knowing Ollie there will be a party when she’s 200!
Robert Nowak, August 2015
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