My Evie summer

This summer I am spending a little time with my Grandmother Evelyn and my lovely family in California. Each day I've planned on writing and sharing a bit about Evelyn. Please let me know if you have any other Evelyn stories, tales, or adventures. I'd love to start a bio for her. Here is a taste of the first few days:

Evelyn Froehlich
July 3, 2009, (the day after her 88th birthday)

After a long flight across the Atlantic and across the country, I’ve arrived in sunny California for a month long adventure with my lovely family here and most importantly, my grandmother Evelyn Froehlich. Evelyn is a special person for many reasons, but perhaps the most important reason is that she remains as a monumental piece of my greatest quirks. Hopefully this summer I will be able to share more about her life and influence into the lives of not only me but also her other very interesting friends and family.

Growing up in Indianapolis was a treat because my grandparents were close by and the owners of my first school. Their house was a 3 story building that at one time contained my grandparents, (Evelyn and Ralph), and all of their eight children. Once the youngest child graduated from school, the house was left to my grandparents and my Aunt Annette. My two brothers and I could expect a variety of surprises at a day visiting this house. A few things we re completely obligatory while visiting, such as taking new vitamins and watching the stock market channel, (no other programs could be seen during the day). After taking these items into consideration, it felt like a complete adventure zone.

Every corner of the house was full of various collections. Such collections included stacks of health articles that may one-day prove to be life saving and an entire room devoted to travel souvenirs. Sure, there were more typical kitsch collections including shot glasses, porcelain plates, bells, books, and endangered coral. These had a special place, (either in a cabinet, displayed on a shelf, or left in a more organized pile somewhere on some floor), but there was a list of endless collections that were more advanced. In fact the system was so advanced that in what would appear to be utter chaos, was this mysterious system of organization. Upon question of whether or not something was useful, there was an immediate answer to its purpose. Even if something was rotten, beyond repair, or highly dangerous, if it was in the house then it must have had a purpose.

Of course, this made a lady like Evelyn a highly eclectic woman than gave life more possibilities than one could imagine. As a child, I felt like my grandmother could direct any question into further research. Of course, if there was something that interested her, she would ask as many people as possible what their opinion of this matter would be. Then, she would make a conclusion that could eventually or possibly be argued after at least one year. Despite being slow moving, I always remember my grandmother as endlessly thinking. She could not stand to see someone else remaining idle. In fact, she still can’t stand idleness. This proves to be interesting as a normal person would think of her as a couch potato or computer zombie. However, if that same person would greet her, she would immediately direct him or her to do something, and usually without responding to the initial greeting.

It appears as though she is now a complete rude tyrant, but after many years, she seems to have given up on much in life and chooses selective people or memories to make a difference in her day-to-day activities. Perhaps it is why I am here and interested so much in her. I hope this adventure gives me some more time to reflect on Evelyn Froehlich.


July 5, 2009


Because yesterday was a national holiday, it seemed inappropriate for me to write. No one is supposed to work on a national holiday, unless of course, you are not in your own nation at the time or you sell fireworks. I used most of the day to observe Evelyn Froehlich in her bed, sleeping, up from rest, sharing breakfast/lunch, sharing photos from my wedding, reading a bible-esque book, reading the stocks, falling asleep in her chair, going for a walk outside, being present at church, and finally relaxing to watch a 4th of July program on television. By 8:30, I was exhausted. She was up later than I, but it would be impossible to continue the observation in my state of total exhaustion. Perhaps I am still jet-lagged. Hopefully it was only that.

From looking through various photo albums yesterday I retrieved the following information:

Evelyn Marie Lozkiewicz was born on the 2nd of July in 1921. She was the 5th child of Joanna and Adolf Lozkiewicz, (the first male had died in infancy), and only her younger brother Edgar, (Eddie), kept her from being the ultimate princess. She was born in North Chicago, Illinois and attended a Polish Catholic school as a young girl. Her elder sisters were, (in order), Bernice, Mary, and Florence.

As I was explained yesterday, my great-grandmother Joanna bought a house closer to the school so that Evelyn wouldn’t suffer any more wetness. It seems that she was excused from school after wetting herself as a young child and the obvious choice was to just move closer to the actual building.

In my favorite picture of the four sisters and their parents, (before Eddie was born), the girls are dressed in frilly white dresses on top of a bench, (possibly a piano), with great white bows in their hair. My three great aunts are sitting gracefully with their backs straight, hands folded, and legs crossed. They are all arranged from oldest to youngest, (left to right), but at the end of the bench my grandmother appears to be more like a blob. She was probably 3 or 4 years old, so I can understand why she would be less tolerable. In the photo she is completely hunched over, her legs are dangling, her hands are seeking refuge in her lap, and the look on her face says, “I hate this bow”. It seems obvious that she probably was a very strong willed child.

I asked my grandmother what her mother was like. She said that she was nice. I asked her if she was funny, and she said, “No. Not really”. It doesn’t surprise me. The Joanna for whom I am named emigrated from Poland as a young woman. She first went to Canada and later met Adolf, who also emigrated from Poland. I’m not sure if he brought her from Canada to Chicago, but it seems that was what happened. Despite being much older and more educated them her, (an engineer), they married and had 6 children. She never went to school or learned much English, but she was seemingly nice. She also kept the Polish language strong in her children and made sure that they attended Polish Catholic schools.

Of all the sisters, Evelyn was the only one ever to graduate from University. She was also the only one to not get married immediately after finishing school. Perhaps having a strong will is good for something. She became a teacher in a rural school for a few years before moving back to the city. She traveled and dated, but nothing too serious. At the age of 27, it surprised the family when she not only married, but also married a younger man in the US Navy, (only 3 years younger). Soon afterwards came children and constant moves to keep up with my grandfather’s work. Still, Evelyn continued working in a wide variety of jobs and hobbies that she still exercises to this day. Of course, her days of making pickles and painting with watercolors ended very early, but her constant vigil over the CNBC ticker tape is still strong.