Related by Marriage: Sunday Picnic

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Everyone looks more relaxed in this snapshot.

Sunday Paper: Los Angeles Edition

Los Angeles, California, 1987. Mr. Irene and his paternal Uncle, Ignas, catch up on the news.

Related by Marriage: Summer Visitor

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, visits the Chicago branch of the family. He's at the head of the table. Mr. Irene's Mom sits on the far left, and Aunt Danutė takes charge of serving (even though she is not the party's hostess). Anthony sits to Ignas's left.

A Closer Look (Part 68)

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, about 1931. This is Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad.

Here's the original post.

Related by Marriage: An Uncle and an Aunt

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Mr. Irene dines with his paternal Uncle Ignas and his maternal Aunt Martha. The family visit the home of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents during Ignas's trip to Chicago.

Related by Marriage: After the Meal

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. The family poses in the kitchen of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents' home. The group just finished the Thanksgiving meal, and all celebrate a visit from Uncle Ignas.

Standing: Mr. Irene's Dad, Uncle Ignas, Mr. Irene's Mom, and Mr. Irene. Mr. Irene's maternal Grandfather, Stanley, sits at the table.

Thanks to Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin for making this photo available to us.

A Remembrance from Mr. Irene

My Dad passed away very peacefully Friday evening, November 6, 2015, in the consoling company of his family.

He suffered a number of complications after breaking his leg last December. After some strong and stable months in the Spring, he succumbed to a severe bone infection and ultimately, sepsis.

Dad lived a life filled with the joys of hard work and devotion to his family; enlivened by Lithuanian wit and humor; and strengthened by an optimistic, American heart.

Like so many of his countrymen, Dad escaped the fierce advance of Soviet troops through Lithuania by escaping into Germany and then Austria in the final year of World War II. In the years immediately after the end of the war, Dad and some of his immediate family lived as Displaced Persons (DPs) in camps established by the Allies in Germany. It was an atmosphere of chaos, danger, and uncertainty.

Lithuanian and Polish nationals living in DP camps in the American zone near Frankfurt were invited by the U.S. Army to apply for support security roles guarding both German and American assets. Dad enlisted in the Lithuanian canine patrol corps and was assigned to the U.S. base camp at Kaiserlautern. (That camp would grow over the years into NATO headquarters. The last photo below shows my Dad in 1948 sharing a laugh with visiting U.S. Army brass. It's my favorite image of Dad from that time.)

From that post, Dad observed the start of the Berlin Airlift after the Soviets blockaded that city. He did nightly patrols around the forest surrounding the camp. His devoted partner was Arno, a loyal and beautiful German Shepard. Dad checks up on Arno (at Arno's barracks) in this first photo (from 1947) below. Dad is 19 years old in that photo.

Dad celebrated his 21st birthday by sailing past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor aboard the USS General Hann. In the second photo below, taken just after the immigrants had disembarked from the ship, you'll see Dad (second from left) with white hair—encrusted in sea salt as he paced the outer decks. Within hours, Dad was on a train to Chicago to begin his new life in America under the kind sponsorship of an uncle who had emigrated from Lithuania in the 1920s.

Shortly after their arrival, my Dad and his older brother, my late Uncle Ignas, were drafted for service in the Korean War. The third photo below shows a farewell outing for Ignas (center) in October, 1950 in Chicago's Grant Park. My Dad stands on the far left. One year later, Dad was drafted for U.S. Army service at Camp Irwin in the Mojave desert east of Los Angeles. He served as a tank instructor, running daredevil maneuvers in the endless sand dunes.

Before President Truman left office, he determined that foreign nationals who had served in the Korean conflict were to be granted U.S. citizenship upon their honorable discharge.

Dad returned to Chicago in 1953 and worked in manufacturing jobs until his retirement. By 1959, our family had moved to Melrose Park, where Dad worked for Benjamin Moore and Co producing paints and stains for the next 35 years. In the penultimate photo, Dad stands front of our Melrose Park home, circa 1965.

Thank you, Dad, for you service—not only to your adopted country but to your family until the day you breathed your last. We love and miss you more than you could imagine.

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Related by Marriage: Cheerful

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Everyone enjoys Ignas's visit.

Related by Marriage: Mostly Menfolk

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965. Everyone gathers at the home of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents to celebrate a visit from Uncle Ignas. From left to right: Mr. Irene's maternal Grandfather, Stanley; Mr. Irene's Dad; Uncle Ignas; and Mr. Irene's Mom.

Thanks to Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Casual

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, July 1971. Mr. Irene's Dad and his older brother, Ignas, visit with Wally in Wally and Martha's backyard. The men were in their early- to mid-forties when they stood for this photo.

Related by Marriage: Desert Jacket

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, February 24, 1952. Mr. Irene's Dad chose this photo as a memento for his brother, Ignas.

Related by Marriage: We visit.

Los Angeles, California, October 1990. After Mr. Irene and I finished our San Diego obligations, we drove up to visit the family of Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle Ignas.

Related by Marriage: Adjusting

Camp Pickett, Virginia, April 14, 1951. Mr. Irene's Dad sent this photo to his older brother, Ignas, and wrote, "Brother! These are my first days in the U.S. Army."

Thanks to Ignas's daughter—Los Angeles Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: The brothers visit.

Panevėžys, Lithuania, July 1992. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle Stacey and Stacey's wife host a visit from Stacey's oldest brother, Ignas. The group stands in front of the brothers' family home.

Related by Marriage: Sunny

Chicago area, probably about 1950. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, visits the forest preserve.

Related by Marriage: Bounty

Panevėžys, Lithuania, July 31, 1992. Stacey and his wife host Stacey's older brother, Ignas.

The salad on the right resembles "Babos Vinegretas." There's a plate of Košeliena (ew, ew, ew)—sometimes translated as "Jellied Pigs' Feet," "Chopped Meat in Aspic," or "Head Cheese"—near the bread. The fried pastry mound on the left looks like a "Skruzdėlynas," or "Ant Hill Cake."

Related by Marriage: The New Recruit

 

Fort Knox, Kentucky, December 1950. This is Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, shortly after Ignas began his service in the U.S. Army. This photo illustrates the resemblance between Ignas and his younger brother, Mr. Irene's Dad.

Related by Marriage: Forget about the leftovers.

Marquette Park, Illinois, November 1965. Let's have some rye bread and sausages instead.

Mr. Irene's family visits the home of Uncle D and his wife, Danutė. The occasion is a visit from Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas. Left to right are Uncle D, Mr. Irene, Ignas, Mr. Irene's Mom, and Danutė. Mr. Irene's mind wanders as he thinks about the likely, upcoming trip to White Castle.

Here's another snapshot from that afternoon. Thanks to Ignas's daughter—Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Smoke Break

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, 1952. This is one of the photos Mr. Irene's Dad sent to his brother, Ignas.

Thanks to Ignas's daughter—Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Related by Marriage: Brothers, Visiting

Suburban Chicago, June 1989. Ignas, the older brother of Mr. Irene's Dad, arrives for our wedding.