ForeverMissed
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His Life

Our Dad

June 1, 2020
I’m Julie, Stan’s youngest daughter also known by him as his little wiggle worm and I want to celebrate a humble man who touched many lives with a walk down memory lane.

Our dad answered to many names over the years:Dad, Daddy, Stanley, Stan, Stosh, Stan the Man, Uncle Stan, Grandpa, Pops, Tan Stan and his favorite “Old Man.”

Stanley was the first and only son of Harriett Miller and Walter Czarny.He was followed by three sisters, Marianne, Carol and our late Aunt Janet.They all grew up in a very simple home located in Justice, IL with our grandma and grandpa; he had a very humble upbringing.

Sadly, we don’t have any photos of our dad as a little boy but we imagine that he was a rambunctious, funny, cute little guy! He was the typical little boy of the 50’s, crew cut, outside playing in the dusty baseball field getting dirty and running home when dinner was ready.

As a young man, our dad took a job as a meat cutter so he could buy his first car. Our grandparents worked hard and our father followed suit which carried down to both my sister Jackie and I. Being a meat cutter was a hard job but he wasn’t afraid of hard work and always did his very best. He made fast friends at the store, you could always find our dad joking around and making light of the day but without a doubt, getting the job done. Aside for his family, work was top priority for our dad.

Dad fell in love and married young to our mom Patricia. Two vastly different people with hard lives who found each other and created their greatest gifts, Jackie and myself. Married life was a challenge, two young girls to care for when they were just kids themselves. Both did the best they could and we have many fond memories of those times.

As a young adult, our dad was full of jokes and entertainment, he played hard because he worked hard.He enjoyed watching sports, mostly baseball and football, the Lone Ranger and Wild Kingdom. He loved milk, potato chips, Pepsi in a glass bottle, chocolate of any kind, going out to breakfast and the beach, tinkering with his car, bowling and jogging. He was the first to try the latest diet and tanning lotion and wasn’t afraid to dye his hair when he thought he looked old. Paper towels were a necessity of his, he always had a pocket full of them and a roll in each room of his house. In his earlier days, he enjoyed planning a vacation with his buddy Jim to see a ball game then would cut it short for one reason or another. He also enjoyed some things that were a bit unusual but the memories are absolutely priceless.Here is a list of what I think are his top 3:

1.Painting the INTERIOR of his car AND using a roller to paint the exterior.

2.Duct tape…literally fixed everything.

3.His culinary expertise included: calves’ brain, BBQ sauce in spaghetti and some type of soda on a roast. He would always laugh if something turned out bad and wouldn’t think twice of tossing a pan in the trash that looked too difficult to clean.

As dad aged, he slowed down and fought the good fight with several hospital visits. Jackie was convinced that he had 9 lives. We have way too many memories of time spent heading to the hospital, being in the hospital and coming home from the hospital but the best one was about 10 years ago when we were in the emergency room with what we thought was the flu. He was pumped up with fluids and feeling better, we were taking orders for food which we would pick up and enjoy when we got back to dads. Come to find out, he couldn’t come home and was admitted for 7 days with a kidney infection that nearly killed him. He started to become a super minimalist, if you wanted to buy him a gift, make sure you like it because you will eventually get it back! He also became spiritual in his older age and we believe he found peace in the idea of departing our world. Dad would say, “My holy spirit will take care of me.”

Our dad was a huge sports fan, he even tried out for his beloved Chicago White Sox but the sports he enjoyed the most were watching his grandkids play.Whether it be a boring T-Ball game, baseball, soccer, hockey, football, basketball or a freezing cold, windy softball game; he was there.Usually with a pack of gum in hand to give to whichever grandkid was playing and also with a pocket full of paper towels because you never know when you’ll need one.

Stan easily became a favorite of both players and parents alike and in those rare times when he couldn’t be at a game, people would always ask how he was doing.The support and encouragement his showed his grandchildren was felt deeply by all of them.

Finally, and most importantly, anyone who knew our dad, knew that he loved his girls. The world literally revolved around us and our well-being. Every single card we received from our dad was embellished with hearts and underlined words to really hit home how he felt about us.

We have so many fond memories of our dad and I’d like to share some of them:

He would tuck us in at night and recite the following: “Good night sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite, sweet dreams, dream of pretty things and see you in the morning.” I carried this tradition on with my children.

When there was a thunder storm and we were scared he would tell us: “Don’t be scared, god is bowling.”

Jackie and I would hide every night before he got home from work and he would find us, tickle us and give us a candy bar.

When he wanted us to eat our carrots, he would tell us that they would give us good eye sight.

When we didn’t like what our mother was telling us, “Listen to your mother.”

When we were teens and fighting like cats and dogs he would say, “Hey, you are sisters, be friends” and then make us hug. Ugh, lol.

When he taught us to bowl: “Reach for the sky, Julie / Jackie!”

Most recently, he would anxiously wait for my sister Jackie to visit during lunch, always with a scratch lottery ticket in hopes of hitting it big. He would always double check when we said that we had a loser. I, living the closest would swing by once a week to assist him with laundry, he loved how I folded his clothes, he hated to take them out of the laundry bag.

Stan Czarny was a simple man but so full of wisdom and most of all love. He filled a room with laughter with all the funny crazy things he would say and do. He was loved by his friends, our friends, grandkids, extended family, neighbors, the gas station attendants selling him his scratch tickets and even the bank ladies.

Reflecting back as I write this, there are so many memories that I could share but I believe that I was able to capture the best of the best, the other memories will live on with all of us who knew him.

Thankfully, Jackie and I had the opportunity to be with our dad for 6 hours before he departed our world. During that time, we told him that we did win the lottery, having him as our father, was the best lottery there is. Although, it’s difficult to feel happiness right now, Jackie and I feel comfort in knowing he is no longer struggling or in pain.

In closing, I’d like to leave all of you with my dad’s favorite Motto – “Be Happy”

We love you so much dad, rest in peace with everyone who departed before you. One day, we will see you again, but not too soon (I can hear you saying that right now)!

With Love Always and Forever, Jackie and Julie