One-Note Reunion

Belleville, Wisconsin, October 19, 2014. There are some colorful spots on the way to New Glarus.

Related by Marriage: A Plot with Lilies

Near Goodman, Wisconsin, about 1938. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandfather, Stanley, and other relatives visit Cousin O's plot.

Castel dell'Ovo

Naples, Italy, May 1984. The hotel at which I stayed is across the street from the castle. It's the hotel where Enrico Caruso died.

We said "goodbye" today ...

... to a beloved friend of the Madison Lithuanian community, Al Senn.

Al was a member of the Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. board; he also was an emeritus History professor.

"War and Peace" returns.

Parts of the new movie were filmed in Lithuania.

My Mom and I watched the 1972 version in the weeks after my Dad died. We rented the VHS tapes of the production and did a 1980s-version of binge watching. We played the tapes on the small television in Mom and Dad's bedroom. I don't remember why, but we started watching the series installments late each night. Sometimes we didn't finish an episode until after 1:00 am.

A Happier Kūčios

Verona, Wisconsin, December 24, 2013. The table will be a little melancholy this year.

War Room

When my Dad was a Displaced Person, he collected several folders of reproduced art prints. The subject matter of the prints is primarily related to World War II. Some prints also are representative of the German inter-war Expressionist movement.

Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1946. This piece is by Willi Geiger.

Taps

St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, November 14, 2015. We said goodbye.

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: Sadness

Near Panevėžys, Lithuania, July 1993. Mr. Irene's Dad joins the family of his younger brother, Stacey, at the cemetery.

All Saints Day

Kaunas, Lithuania, November 1, 1958. A relative sent this snapshot of my paternal Grandfather's grave. The family member noted she took the photo on All Saints Day.

The letters "A.A." stand for "Amžina Atsilsi," or "Eternal Rest." Lithuanians use the phrase to show respect for the deceased. A Lithuanian customarily says "Amžina Atsilsi" before uttering the name of a dead person. So, for example, were I to refer to my paternal Grandmother in conversation, I would say, "Amžina Atsilsi Tatjana."

Chilly Season

Unknown location, Germany, Autumn 1944. Roadside shrines are common in Europe.

The Traveling Coat

Unknown Location, Germany, Autumn 1944. Mom doesn't recall why she packed two coats when she fled Lithuania in mid-summer. She took only one dress. By the time she and Jake settled in the Displaced Persons camp, the dress was threadbare, and Mom struggled to darn the worn fabric.

Spring Ritual

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, June 1973. Dora tends to the plot where Zigmunta (Dora's Mother), Jadzė (Dora's Sister), and Dora' first husband are buried.

Dora wrote, "Here I didn't know I was being photographed, but I liked this photo more than the other one."

Family Plot

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1954. This is where my Dad's relatives are buried. The grave on the far right, marked "1894-1942," belongs to my paternal Grandfather, Vytautas.

A Closer Look (Part 36)

Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois, 1924. This is Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt, Martha, at the wake of her sister.

Here's the original post.

Related by Marriage: Passing

Near Panevėžys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 27, 1951. Mr. Irene's paternal Grandmother, Veronica, and Veronica's youngest son Stacey mourn the loss of Mr. Irene's paternal Grandfather.

Read here for more about the tradition of photographing funerals.

"But you’re very healthy so it may take longer."

Are believers better at accepting death?

Related by Marriage: Memorial

Near Goodman, Wisconsin, about 1938. Mr. Irene's Mom (left) and his maternal Aunt Martha (second from right) visit Cousin O's burial site.

Related by Marriage: A Passing

Lithuania, about 1940. Relatives gather for the funeral of Mr. Irene's Dad's uncle.