Tag: rachocki

A little humor this week for the continuation of the, “From Here to There,” theme for Sepia Saturday.  Pictured here is John Rachocki, my grandfather, standing behind a fake painted airplane.  The back of the photo is labelled, “France, 17 Feb 1945,” so this was taken while he was serving as part of the Army Air Force or what would later become a separate Air Force branch, taking a position as a heavy truck driver under the 1411th AAF BU ATC according to his discharge paper.  He and my grandmother were married in January of 1943 which was under two years after he enlisted but almost two years before he went overseas from Nov 1944 to Dec 1945.  He sent home photos as well as what I’m told are some pretty sappy love letters!  Even though he couldn’t quite get anywhere in that plane, it makes for a pretty neat photo that I think we can stretch to fit into the theme!

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt image brought us Mischa Elman, a famous violinist, playing chess which opened up a variety of theme ideas from chess to games and musicians.  Sadly, I have no family photos of chess being played, but we have plenty of musicians!  On the left in the photo above is my grandfather, John Rachocki (1914-1984).  It’s a rare chance that I get to showcase a photo from my maternal side of the family since we have so few, so I jumped at the opportunity  to include this one.  Grandpa John, the son of Polish immigrants, stood nearly 6 feet tall, and everyone who’s spoken about him (he died when I was just four years old), has said he was a gentle giant with a quiet demeanor.  He served in World War II, worked in the coal mines, and even worked for a while as a nurse and security guard at a local mental hospital in Pennsylvania.  A living family member spoke about him recently and said that he played the mandolin brilliantly, but with such large hands, it was a wonder how he managed to play such a delicate instrument so well.  I’m not sure who the other two men are, but the hats are certainly interesting for central Pennsylvania.  As far as a date, I’d probably say around 1945 or so.  It’s really a treasured photo, one of I think only two  we have of Grandpa John with his mandolin, and I’m happy to have had the chance to show it off for Sepia Saturday.

The theme for this week’s Sepia Saturday was Valentine’s Day since the holiday just happens to fall on a Sepia Saturday.  I am not a huge fan of the holiday and never have been, so I’m going off the rails on the theme and  am  just focusing on a sweet love story.  IMHO, if you love someone, you shouldn’t need a special holiday to go out for a nice dinner or buy a gift.  My husband won’t be home for Valentine’s Day, but I know he cares for me through the little things, and it’s much nicer to be surprised by a bouquet of flowers brought home on a whim instead of prompted because of some special holiday.  That said, I’d never turn away a Valentine’s Day sentiment, but it’s nice to be thought of throughout the year instead of on just one holiday.

Anyway, on to that photo!  The date is what loosely ties me to the theme.  My mother, at some point, had taken a bunch of photos and copied them along with the dates/information on the back.  This one is dated February 17, 1945 and labelled as having been taken in France.  In the photo is my grandfather, John Rachocki (1914-1984).  He married my grandmother about two years prior to this photo being taken and had been in the Air Force for about two years when they were married.  Grandpa passed away when I was only four years old so I don’t remember him very well.  I’m told he was a gentle giant, standing just shy of 6 feet tall, and only spoke when he had something to say.  That of course meant he wasn’t an open book when it came to his feelings, so when my mom asked if he loved grandma, he would reply, “Would I be here if I didn’t?”  We found out later, after grandma passed away, that he had written many love letters to grandma while he was overseas and she kept them hidden away for so many years.  He might not have expressed his feelings  openly for the world to see, but it’s clear that he loved her in his own quiet way.