Anna Alice (Adamski) Szczebak, nee Rychlak, was born in 1891 in the rural farming community of Rzeszow, in what now is southeastern Poland, during a period when that region was annexed as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While living in Poland, as a young teenager, she worked on various farms both in Southeastern Poland, and Germany where she learned to speak five languages, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, German and finally English when she came to the United States.
She immigrated to the United States, as did her sister, Mary, (see the link below to Mary's page) and was sixteen years old when she arrived. Later, she met Jan 'John' Adamczyk, in New Haven, Connecticut. They married on September 6, 1909, changed their surname to Adamski and eventually moved to Springfield, Massachusetts where they raised five children, Frank, John, Anna, Marie and Anthony 'Tony'.
Anna and John lived in numerous areas of the North end of Springfield Massachusetts, including Allendale Street, Bell Street, Butler Street, and ultimately residing on Chestnut Street, on the corner of Patton Street, diagonally across the street from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
After her husband, a drop forge worker, died in a tragic fall in 1931, and having five minor children, she refused to go onto Relief, the precursor to Welfare, but instead worked six days a week cleaning the homes of local business executives.
Her second born son, Frank, died in her arms in 1938 after breaking his neck in a diving accident, having survived the accident but succumbing to pneumonia while hospitalized.
In 1952 she met and married Josef 'Joe' Szczebak from Nashua, New Hampshire. They moved into the first floor of the two-family home of her son, Anthony, his wife Mary, and their children, located near Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joe passed away in 1961.
She was not only a hard working woman, but also very religious saying the Rosary daily and attending Mass at Holy Name Church in the Forest Park section of Springfield.
While living there, before her son bought his first car, and to save bus fare, she would regularly walk from her home to Chicopee, Massachusetts to visit her friends, a distance of over six miles one way.
Her grandson, Frank, was fortunate enough to be asked by his dad to move downstairs to live with her when she was in her seventies, keeping her company and making sure nothing happened to her.
While living with her, he was often regaled at the dinner table with stories of her youth, struggles in Poland and her early days in the United States, inculcating in him the virtues of hard work, self-reliance, helping less fortunate people, and love of family.
Anna wanted more than anything to become a United States citizen and finally realized that dream after mastering American history, the English language, and passing the citizen test to become a naturalized citizen on September 24, 1940.
Predeceasing her was her first husband, John Adamski, and her second husband, Josef Szczebak, her sons Frank and John and her daughter, Marie. At the time of her passing she was survived by her daughter Anna Michaliszyn, and her husband, Mickey, and her son Anthony 'Tony' and his wife, Mary. and by her loving grandchildren, Leonard, Robert, and Marc St. George, John E. Adamski, Barbara (Michaliszyn) Schoolcraft, Carol (Michaliszyn) Brown, and Judy Michaliszyn, and Karen, and Frank Adamski, along with numerous great-grand children.
People of Anna's character, self reliance, work ethic, and love of God and family contribute much to humanity and are sorely missed when gone.
Her sister, Mary Rychlak Skut. is buried in Colchester, CT.
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard, but always near.
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
She immigrated to the United States, as did her sister, Mary, (see the link below to Mary's page) and was sixteen years old when she arrived. Later, she met Jan 'John' Adamczyk, in New Haven, Connecticut. They married on September 6, 1909, changed their surname to Adamski and eventually moved to Springfield, Massachusetts where they raised five children, Frank, John, Anna, Marie and Anthony 'Tony'.
Anna and John lived in numerous areas of the North end of Springfield Massachusetts, including Allendale Street, Bell Street, Butler Street, and ultimately residing on Chestnut Street, on the corner of Patton Street, diagonally across the street from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
After her husband, a drop forge worker, died in a tragic fall in 1931, and having five minor children, she refused to go onto Relief, the precursor to Welfare, but instead worked six days a week cleaning the homes of local business executives.
Her second born son, Frank, died in her arms in 1938 after breaking his neck in a diving accident, having survived the accident but succumbing to pneumonia while hospitalized.
In 1952 she met and married Josef 'Joe' Szczebak from Nashua, New Hampshire. They moved into the first floor of the two-family home of her son, Anthony, his wife Mary, and their children, located near Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joe passed away in 1961.
She was not only a hard working woman, but also very religious saying the Rosary daily and attending Mass at Holy Name Church in the Forest Park section of Springfield.
While living there, before her son bought his first car, and to save bus fare, she would regularly walk from her home to Chicopee, Massachusetts to visit her friends, a distance of over six miles one way.
Her grandson, Frank, was fortunate enough to be asked by his dad to move downstairs to live with her when she was in her seventies, keeping her company and making sure nothing happened to her.
While living with her, he was often regaled at the dinner table with stories of her youth, struggles in Poland and her early days in the United States, inculcating in him the virtues of hard work, self-reliance, helping less fortunate people, and love of family.
Anna wanted more than anything to become a United States citizen and finally realized that dream after mastering American history, the English language, and passing the citizen test to become a naturalized citizen on September 24, 1940.
Predeceasing her was her first husband, John Adamski, and her second husband, Josef Szczebak, her sons Frank and John and her daughter, Marie. At the time of her passing she was survived by her daughter Anna Michaliszyn, and her husband, Mickey, and her son Anthony 'Tony' and his wife, Mary. and by her loving grandchildren, Leonard, Robert, and Marc St. George, John E. Adamski, Barbara (Michaliszyn) Schoolcraft, Carol (Michaliszyn) Brown, and Judy Michaliszyn, and Karen, and Frank Adamski, along with numerous great-grand children.
People of Anna's character, self reliance, work ethic, and love of God and family contribute much to humanity and are sorely missed when gone.
Her sister, Mary Rychlak Skut. is buried in Colchester, CT.
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard, but always near.
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
Anna Alice (Adamski) Szczebak, nee Rychlak, was born in 1891 in the rural farming community of Rzeszow, in what now is southeastern Poland, during a period when that region was annexed as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While living in Poland, as a young teenager, she worked on various farms both in Southeastern Poland, and Germany where she learned to speak five languages, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, German and finally English when she came to the United States.
She immigrated to the United States, as did her sister, Mary, (see the link below to Mary's page) and was sixteen years old when she arrived. Later, she met Jan 'John' Adamczyk, in New Haven, Connecticut. They married on September 6, 1909, changed their surname to Adamski and eventually moved to Springfield, Massachusetts where they raised five children, Frank, John, Anna, Marie and Anthony 'Tony'.
Anna and John lived in numerous areas of the North end of Springfield Massachusetts, including Allendale Street, Bell Street, Butler Street, and ultimately residing on Chestnut Street, on the corner of Patton Street, diagonally across the street from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
After her husband, a drop forge worker, died in a tragic fall in 1931, and having five minor children, she refused to go onto Relief, the precursor to Welfare, but instead worked six days a week cleaning the homes of local business executives.
Her second born son, Frank, died in her arms in 1938 after breaking his neck in a diving accident, having survived the accident but succumbing to pneumonia while hospitalized.
In 1952 she met and married Josef 'Joe' Szczebak from Nashua, New Hampshire. They moved into the first floor of the two-family home of her son, Anthony, his wife Mary, and their children, located near Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joe passed away in 1961.
She was not only a hard working woman, but also very religious saying the Rosary daily and attending Mass at Holy Name Church in the Forest Park section of Springfield.
While living there, before her son bought his first car, and to save bus fare, she would regularly walk from her home to Chicopee, Massachusetts to visit her friends, a distance of over six miles one way.
Her grandson, Frank, was fortunate enough to be asked by his dad to move downstairs to live with her when she was in her seventies, keeping her company and making sure nothing happened to her.
While living with her, he was often regaled at the dinner table with stories of her youth, struggles in Poland and her early days in the United States, inculcating in him the virtues of hard work, self-reliance, helping less fortunate people, and love of family.
Anna wanted more than anything to become a United States citizen and finally realized that dream after mastering American history, the English language, and passing the citizen test to become a naturalized citizen on September 24, 1940.
Predeceasing her was her first husband, John Adamski, and her second husband, Josef Szczebak, her sons Frank and John and her daughter, Marie. At the time of her passing she was survived by her daughter Anna Michaliszyn, and her husband, Mickey, and her son Anthony 'Tony' and his wife, Mary. and by her loving grandchildren, Leonard, Robert, and Marc St. George, John E. Adamski, Barbara (Michaliszyn) Schoolcraft, Carol (Michaliszyn) Brown, and Judy Michaliszyn, and Karen, and Frank Adamski, along with numerous great-grand children.
People of Anna's character, self reliance, work ethic, and love of God and family contribute much to humanity and are sorely missed when gone.
Her sister, Mary Rychlak Skut. is buried in Colchester, CT.
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard, but always near.
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
She immigrated to the United States, as did her sister, Mary, (see the link below to Mary's page) and was sixteen years old when she arrived. Later, she met Jan 'John' Adamczyk, in New Haven, Connecticut. They married on September 6, 1909, changed their surname to Adamski and eventually moved to Springfield, Massachusetts where they raised five children, Frank, John, Anna, Marie and Anthony 'Tony'.
Anna and John lived in numerous areas of the North end of Springfield Massachusetts, including Allendale Street, Bell Street, Butler Street, and ultimately residing on Chestnut Street, on the corner of Patton Street, diagonally across the street from Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
After her husband, a drop forge worker, died in a tragic fall in 1931, and having five minor children, she refused to go onto Relief, the precursor to Welfare, but instead worked six days a week cleaning the homes of local business executives.
Her second born son, Frank, died in her arms in 1938 after breaking his neck in a diving accident, having survived the accident but succumbing to pneumonia while hospitalized.
In 1952 she met and married Josef 'Joe' Szczebak from Nashua, New Hampshire. They moved into the first floor of the two-family home of her son, Anthony, his wife Mary, and their children, located near Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joe passed away in 1961.
She was not only a hard working woman, but also very religious saying the Rosary daily and attending Mass at Holy Name Church in the Forest Park section of Springfield.
While living there, before her son bought his first car, and to save bus fare, she would regularly walk from her home to Chicopee, Massachusetts to visit her friends, a distance of over six miles one way.
Her grandson, Frank, was fortunate enough to be asked by his dad to move downstairs to live with her when she was in her seventies, keeping her company and making sure nothing happened to her.
While living with her, he was often regaled at the dinner table with stories of her youth, struggles in Poland and her early days in the United States, inculcating in him the virtues of hard work, self-reliance, helping less fortunate people, and love of family.
Anna wanted more than anything to become a United States citizen and finally realized that dream after mastering American history, the English language, and passing the citizen test to become a naturalized citizen on September 24, 1940.
Predeceasing her was her first husband, John Adamski, and her second husband, Josef Szczebak, her sons Frank and John and her daughter, Marie. At the time of her passing she was survived by her daughter Anna Michaliszyn, and her husband, Mickey, and her son Anthony 'Tony' and his wife, Mary. and by her loving grandchildren, Leonard, Robert, and Marc St. George, John E. Adamski, Barbara (Michaliszyn) Schoolcraft, Carol (Michaliszyn) Brown, and Judy Michaliszyn, and Karen, and Frank Adamski, along with numerous great-grand children.
People of Anna's character, self reliance, work ethic, and love of God and family contribute much to humanity and are sorely missed when gone.
Her sister, Mary Rychlak Skut. is buried in Colchester, CT.
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard, but always near.
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
