Steven Wisniewski

Steven Wisniewski was my Great-Uncle or sometime termed Grand-Uncle. He was born 18 Aug 1913 in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana to Ignatious Wisniewski & Catherine Domick. Uncle Steve died on 10 Mar 1993 in the same city that he was born in.

Uncle Steve married Helen Marie Gatchell on 26 Oct 1938 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He worked and retired from Harvester International in Fort Wayne. Uncle Steve always had a large and bountiful garden. I can remember visiting them several times when I was young as he raised pigeons in the back of his garage. He butchered and ate them too which seems rather foreign to me at the time but I have come to appreciate this more in my later years as Uncle Steve grew up in the Great Depression in which food was scarce.

Millard Clark Gatchell in Navy

My grandfather Millard Clark Gatchell (on left) is pictured here with an unidentified shipmate during his Navy service days. He was is reported to have shot down a Japanese Zero during World War II.

The story that has been passed down to me is grandpa was living with an uncle of his that was very mean to him (both his parents passed away quite early in his life) and as soon as he was old enough to leave home he jointed the Navy.

I was only 12 years old when grandpa passed away so I don't have that many memories as they lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana and we lived in Nashville, Michigan which only allowed us to see them on occasion.

Grandpa Gatchell is part of the Greatest Generation which was coined by journalist Tom Brokaw.