When I reflect on my childhood, I can hardly do so without remembering my Grandmother and Grandfather Kohus. I treasure the memories of the time we shared. I am fortunate to have had grandparents like them. I am older now and am a grandparent myself. As parenting requires a role model, so does grandparenting.
In 1968, while home on leave from the United States Army, I paid a visit to my grandparents' home, which was only a short walk from where I grew up. I was on my way to Europe for a two-year duty assignment. I vividly remember standing in the doorway of their house while saying my good-byes. Grandpa was sitting on the left hand corner of the couch in the living room where he always sat. It was his spot where he would sit and watch the Red's Ball games on his black and white TV. I can still hear Waite Hoyt announcing every play. Sometimes when there was no game on TV grandpa would lay back on the couch, prop up his legs, grab a chew of his favorite Midwest brand Tobacco and tell stories. Many times he would tell stories of his youth when times were simpler and a movie theatre admission was a nickel, or when he was a bartender in brother Johnny's Saloon at the turn of the century. The doorway where I was standing led directly into the living room where I had spent countless hours of my childhood laughing, playing, and listening to grandpa's stories. Beyond the living room was the tiny kitchen where Grandma Kohus and I would sit at the table and play cards for hours on end. In the kitchen was also the window where we would watch the birds in their back yard, trying to identify all the ones that we knew. Also, out in their yard were flowers and plants of every sort. Grandpa loved flowers and a trip to their house was not complete without at least one tour around the yard to inspect the progress of every plant since I saw it last.
When I was a child, I remember Grandpa Kohus would often make comments about something he was going to do later, such as next spring or next year and end the sentence with “if I am still around then.” That phrase always bothered me. I did not want to think about him not being around forever. As I reflect now, maybe it was just his way of preparing others for the inevitable? As I stood in the doorway on that last visit, we looked at each other and said our good-byes. Grandpa mentioned that he might not see me again. Of course like always, I brushed it off and laughingly commented that I would not be gone forever and reassured him, as I always did, that he would be there when I returned.
I can still remember saying good-bye and the weight of the door as I closed it behind me. There are a few unforgettable moments that people carry with them throughout their lifetimes. One of my most unforgettable moments was closing the door behind me that day and realizing this time grandpa was probably correct.
On May 03, 1969, while I was away, stationed in Berlin, Germany, Grandpa Kohus (Herbert Bernard Kohus Sr.) passed away. The following year on September 30, 1970 Grandma Kohus (Mary Julia Duncan) passed away. It is in their memory I dedicate this family tree and the countless hours of research and work to make it possible. I now know much more of the story of our families' past that grandpa always talked about. Though my grandparents and all who preceded them are gone, none need be forgotten. As long as their memory is alive, they will live in our minds and hearts.