To join our Facebook Page :CLICK HERE

To read the Johnstown Tribune - World War II Collection: CLICK HERE

 To read thru our old Johnstown Newspaper Collection - CLICK HERE

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Mary (Hanzel) Bobko


This is a rare picture of my grandmother's older sister Mary (Hanzel) Bobko 1912 - 2002 and her husband John Bobko. She grew up on Barron Avenue before the Hanzel family moved to Stackhouse Street. This is their wedding picture - and I find this picture beautiful in so many ways. My cousins have very few pictures of themselves growing up during the Depression because money was so tight. And I know that alot of what Mary has on from shoes to jewelry were borrowed for this sitting. She was one of the kindest people I have ever known.

Our family may not have alot of money, but we do have a sense of humor. When Mary died in 2002, the family gathered down at the old homestead on Stackhouse Street. While sitting on the porch, Mary's daughter Karol commented on how pretty my Aunt Marge's roses were - and asked her if she fed them. Aunt Marge thought we were talking about the rabbit she was feeding and she said she fed it sauerkraut and mashed potatoes - etc - not realizing they were asking about the rose bush. Everyone had a good laugh over that.

3 comments:

Gregg said...

I have known Bumps and Mary since they moved to Seward I was their next door neighbor the entire time they lived there.They were the nicest people you could ever know. I might have a lot pictures you might be interestet in. My name is Gregg Freidhoff and my email address is vfreidhoff@cs.com I would like to nere from you. I have many Johnstown pictures but are in picture form and I can't send to you onthe internet.

Overworked Goddess said...

When I moved back to PA after college, I lived on Barron Avenue for a year or so. The basement concrete had "Hanzel" carved into it. I thought it was a full-circle kind of thing. My grandmother is Eleanor Rita Hanzel m to John Martin.

Overworked Goddess said...

When I moved back to PA from college, I lived on Barron Ave for a year or so. The basement concrete had "Hanzel" carved into it. I thought it was a full-circle kind of thing. My grandmother is Eleanor Rita Hanzel m to John J Martin, Sr.