Our trip begins in Chicago Illinois where Ted is born in June 1923 to Ted & Stella Twardowski. Same city, some 17 years later in high school he meets the girl who would eventually become the love of his life Jean
Wilthy. A few years later With WWII looming he decides to enlist in the Navy and is deployed on a destroyer
as a Radio Man 1st class.
(Stop #1) It's here we make our first stop.
From Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation":
"At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting in the most primitive conditions possible across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the coral islands of the Pacific. They answered the call to save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front. They won the war; they saved the world. They came home to joyous and short- lived celebrations and immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted. They married in record numbers(Mom & dad were married during a shore leave in an all Navy wedding Dec 23rd 1945) and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers.
As they now reach the twilight of their adventurous and productive lives, they remain, for the most part,
exceptionally modest. They have so many stories to tell, stories that in many cases they have never told before, because in a deep sense they didn't think that what they were doing was that special, because everyone else was doing it too."
When I could get my dad to talk about his navy stories they included being on not one but two sinking destroyers, friends lost at sea in horrible conditions, and heroic
survivals & rescues. More heartwarming were stories of his various reunions with shipmates, many who became lifelong friends, throughout the years.
On we go. After the war, in the mid 40's Ted goes to work for The phone company in Illinois as a line man. 1948 his first born son, Paul arrives. He soon realizes cold weather
and outside work on telephone poles don't mix and decides to transfer out west. With wife & son in tow they move
to sunny southern California, the first of his family to do so.
Once in California his family & career starts to grow. In the 50's children Tom, Wendy & Jill are born, followed in the 60's by their 5th child Gary.
Initially landing in Westchester they then moved to Lakewood and finally landing at San Pedro Circle in Buena Park
where his dreams of the ultimate family life comes to
fruition and he resides for over 30 years.
(Stop #2)
Its here his career with Pac Bell/At&T takes off with management positions held throughout the company. His
personal life blossoms also as he becomes a commissioner for The Buena Park Park & Recreation Council. He's elected president of the Orange County Optimist Club. He plays golf
and bowls weekly. He finds time to remodel the house(developing his unique "design as you go"concept), manage little league teams, supports booster organizations for our schools & activities. He always encouraged us in
whatever we were interested in. If we wanted to play basketball he built a back board with a hoop over the
garage in the driveway, if we wanted to play baseball he painted bases in the street in front of the house. If
we wanted to play music as either a LOUD nine piece jazz/rock group or a VERY LOUD power trio our garage was the place to play. Looking back I can only imagine the complaints from the neighbors he never told tell us about. Back on the road.
After 35 successful years with Pac Bell/At&T he retires. In 1989 they decide to move out of Orange County and take their talents to Sun Lakes in Banning California.
(Stop #3.) It's here they start a second life filled with new friends and endless activities. They traveled, they went on cruises, they golfed, they found the three B's: bocce ball, bingo & bridge. My dad played poker, softball and enjoyed weekly breakfasts with his many pals. He takes my mom to her weekly therapy sessions, which we found out later where visits to one of the many local Indian casinos.So it's here, in Sun Lakes where our road trip ends, ironically on a snowy California day, February 8, 2013. Unpacking I see pictures of a man, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a friend whose life was live to the fullest. Whose life was
lived according to two of his favorites sayings: "To each his own" and "whatever makes you happy".
Our trip begins in Chicago Illinois where Ted is born in June 1923 to Ted & Stella Twardowski. Same city, some 17 years later in high school he meets the girl who would eventually become the love of his life Jean
Wilthy. A few years later With WWII looming he decides to enlist in the Navy and is deployed on a destroyer
as a Radio Man 1st class.
(Stop #1) It's here we make our first stop.
From Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation":
"At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting in the most primitive conditions possible across the bloodied landscape of France, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the coral islands of the Pacific. They answered the call to save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs. They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. They succeeded on every front. They won the war; they saved the world. They came home to joyous and short- lived celebrations and immediately began the task of rebuilding their lives and the world they wanted. They married in record numbers(Mom & dad were married during a shore leave in an all Navy wedding Dec 23rd 1945) and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers.
As they now reach the twilight of their adventurous and productive lives, they remain, for the most part,
exceptionally modest. They have so many stories to tell, stories that in many cases they have never told before, because in a deep sense they didn't think that what they were doing was that special, because everyone else was doing it too."
When I could get my dad to talk about his navy stories they included being on not one but two sinking destroyers, friends lost at sea in horrible conditions, and heroic
survivals & rescues. More heartwarming were stories of his various reunions with shipmates, many who became lifelong friends, throughout the years.
On we go. After the war, in the mid 40's Ted goes to work for The phone company in Illinois as a line man. 1948 his first born son, Paul arrives. He soon realizes cold weather
and outside work on telephone poles don't mix and decides to transfer out west. With wife & son in tow they move
to sunny southern California, the first of his family to do so.
Once in California his family & career starts to grow. In the 50's children Tom, Wendy & Jill are born, followed in the 60's by their 5th child Gary.
Initially landing in Westchester they then moved to Lakewood and finally landing at San Pedro Circle in Buena Park
where his dreams of the ultimate family life comes to
fruition and he resides for over 30 years.
(Stop #2)
Its here his career with Pac Bell/At&T takes off with management positions held throughout the company. His
personal life blossoms also as he becomes a commissioner for The Buena Park Park & Recreation Council. He's elected president of the Orange County Optimist Club. He plays golf
and bowls weekly. He finds time to remodel the house(developing his unique "design as you go"concept), manage little league teams, supports booster organizations for our schools & activities. He always encouraged us in
whatever we were interested in. If we wanted to play basketball he built a back board with a hoop over the
garage in the driveway, if we wanted to play baseball he painted bases in the street in front of the house. If
we wanted to play music as either a LOUD nine piece jazz/rock group or a VERY LOUD power trio our garage was the place to play. Looking back I can only imagine the complaints from the neighbors he never told tell us about. Back on the road.
After 35 successful years with Pac Bell/At&T he retires. In 1989 they decide to move out of Orange County and take their talents to Sun Lakes in Banning California.
(Stop #3.) It's here they start a second life filled with new friends and endless activities. They traveled, they went on cruises, they golfed, they found the three B's: bocce ball, bingo & bridge. My dad played poker, softball and enjoyed weekly breakfasts with his many pals. He takes my mom to her weekly therapy sessions, which we found out later where visits to one of the many local Indian casinos.So it's here, in Sun Lakes where our road trip ends, ironically on a snowy California day, February 8, 2013. Unpacking I see pictures of a man, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a friend whose life was live to the fullest. Whose life was
lived according to two of his favorites sayings: "To each his own" and "whatever makes you happy".
Bio by: Debra Twardowski
