Mr. Kupco was born in Cudahy, Wisconsin on Aug. 23, 1920
and passed away on Nov. 29, 2007. Gus resided in Buffalo, NY.
I knew Gus from Sisters Hospital, where he worked as an engineer in the hospital boiler house. Really nice guy. He had to retire back in the 80's when he became ill. I hadn't seen Gus for probably 20 years. Last time I saw Gus was at Kenmore Mercy Hospital where I visited him when he became ill. I'll always have fond memories of Gus. May he rest in peace.
Eulogy given by Tom at Mr. Kupco's funeral mass:
I know that everyone is hurting now for the loss of my grandfather. I'm very hurt too; my grandfather is one of very few role models I've ever had. In a way, it hurts more because August was such a great man, but it makes me feel even more thankful to have so many incredible things about him to celebrate.
Today we honor loyalty. We celebrate August Kupco.
Today we honor passion for life, and what it is meant to be. We celebrate August Kupco.Today we honor wisdom. We celebrate August Kupco.I have collected a number of stories from many of you that show how August lived his life and what is important to him. Loyalty, wisdom, and passion for life are the things that I found in each story that you told. I told a story of my own a few weeks ago to my team, and my Grandfather was my inspiration. I had noticed that my teammates were struggling with motivation. I told them that "we are men of action. We are not men of words. If we move are hands and feet, things happen. We are not men of titles, nor status – these things mean nothing. Every man is nothing more than the summation of what he has chosen to do in life – and what he has chosen not to do."
August was a man of action, not words. I learned this by observing him. He showed his wisdom in silence, with action, and with his loving presence. I personally can count the number of role models that I have had in my entire life on one hand. My Grandfather, August, and his close friend, my Uncle Bud, Edwin Zwetsch were two of them.
One of the last times I remember seeing August smile was at Eileen's house with my Uncle Bud. Even when they were both struggling in their health, they were very happy to be with each other. There was a period of time when August would take the kids to Bud's place for swimming almost every evening. He loved visiting Eileen and Bud.
In their younger years, Bud and August made snow sculptures together with the kids. Bud was the artist, skillfully etching out images of Abraham Lincoln or Tanks. August was the worker, piling up the snow for him. Then they would flood the backyard so that everyone could ice skate. August and Bud would figure skate together, and whoever was lucky enough to watch them would agree that August was exceptionally skilled and graceful.
It's interesting to see how the characteristics of people carry over into all that they do. Just as August was graceful on the ice, he was a gentle and graceful man in many other endeavors. Even though August went hunting many times with Mike Guarnieri, Todd, Mark, and Alfonso, he never shot a deer after an incident that upset him. He had wounded a deer, but it was coughing up blood as he watched it run away. Worried that it was suffering, he almost got lost in the woods after chasing it to try and put it out of its misery. August still went hunting after this event, but he did so to be outdoors with his friends and family, not to kill deer. August even cried when he watched Bambi. He was a gentle and noble man. August took his daughters Kathy and Joanne hunting. When Kathy tried to shoot the gun, she fell over. When Mark was born years later, Kathy said "dad, now you have someone who will be strong enough to shoot the gun with you." Mark and his father August did this many times. Many of Mark's fondest times with his father were at Java where they would hike, hunt, and fish together.
August taught his son much more than how to hunt. He built Mark's first mini-bike with him from a kit and taught him how to drive his first car in 1976 – a 1970 Ford Galaxy 500.
August showed wisdom in the ways he raised his children. When Mildred bought a new house and Mark and August found an abandoned raft in a stream nearby, August warned that Mark would fall in the stream if he kept playing around on the raft. In the dead of winter, Mark sure enough returned from the stream, drenched in ice cold water from head to toe. August chose to reinforce the lesson to Mark by asking him repeatedly "Are you cold?" instead of saying something like "I told you so."
This is how August Kupco emanated graceful wisdom.
When August's kids were trying to get a start on their lives, August was always willing to give the kids a place in his home so that they wouldn't have to struggle. Mark was living in a Kenmore apartment early in his adulthood. His father looked at the apartment and said, "You know we could make something better than this for you, so that you won't have to pay rent."
Mark and his father went to work, remodeling the third floor into a fantastic apartment. August used scrap materials that were recycled from other places and they made a beautiful apartment. There wasn't anything that August couldn't fix, as long as he had enough time to "‘TINK" about it.
We all adored my Grandfather's mannerisms and sayings. Did August need a masterful command of oration to be a wise man? No. His wisdom, passion for life, and loyalty were present in all of his choices and actions.
Just as August was loyal to his family, he was also loyal to his Country. He was proud to serve in the Coast Guard, risking his life to defend the freedom and happiness that we all enjoy today. He met Connie Candlena in 1943 on Porter Avenue at a Hot Dog stand. They married shortly thereafter on December 14, 1944. At the same time, the newlywed August, magnanimous as he was, volunteered to deploy into battle in the North Pacific in place of his friend, who had a pregnant wife. What else do you need to know, to understand this man? He was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and family, for honor, and principle. August was a man of principle and action – showing with his choices what truly makes a great man.
When August came home from World War II in 1945, he completed the remainder of his career as a First Class Stationary Engineer, at Beck's, Iroquois, Meyer's Malt, and finally at Sister's Hospital.
During this time, he raised three fine children with his kind, gentle, and wise demeanor. He always spent time with the kids. He loved to cook and always pitched in – he never saw a difference between
‘men's work' and ‘women's work'. He did these chores without being asked. He was a loving and guiding force in his children's lives.
Sunday mornings were particularly special. He would make pancakes and eggs for the kids, and then read the comics with them. He taught the kids how to make wine from dandelions, rhubarbs, and pears.
August was also a protective and caring husband. If his wife had to park down the street at night, he would wait to watch for her and make sure that she got back to the house safely from her car.
Chip Cipolla describes August as ‘the nicest man he's ever known, and like a father to him'.
Bill Downy says that to August, family was the most important thing. He said that my Grandfather had a great smile and a great laugh. Bill never saw Augie without a hat. He said that August was an excellent carpenter and quite a figure skater.
And who could've known my Grandfather without enjoying his wonderful sense of humor?
When the young boys were coming to the house and sitting on the porch to socialize, August would come out and say: "Okay, you heathen blokes, are you behaving yourselves?" Then he would laugh. No one remembers this better than Chip Cipolla, who August called a heathen bloke as he walked through the back door to pick up Joanne Cipolla for their first date.
If the kids were misbehaving and not going to bed at night, August would come into the bed room and slap the bed with a belt and say that if they didn't go to bed he would hit them. But then as he was walking away, they could see him laughing to himself and smiling. He never actually hit them.
One of August's favorite jokes was to ask people if they wanted a piece of pie. When they said ‘yes', he'd say ‘go get it from the refrigerator'; but instead of finding pie in the fridge, they would just find a chuckling Augie waiting behind them to see the look of disappointment and laugh with them.
August was even joking in his last days.
Joanne would ask him, "Do you want something to eat?"
Poppi replies, "No."
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No."
"Do you want a kick in the rear end?"
"Yes."
As if we weren't blessed enough with August's loyalty, wisdom, passion, and humor, we are also blessed with the gifts of being led by his strong religious and spiritual convictions. August lived his life by God's
Word. We all owe our happiness and sanity to that one fact. And because of that one fact, we enjoyed a nuclear family that was free of artificial complications of secular and humanistic design.
So far, I've talked about what August has meant to the whole family. I'd like to talk now about what my grandfather has meant to me.
I would call my grandfather a ‘man of the world.' Is that surprising to many of you? When you think about a ‘man of the world' you usually think about someone who has travelled to many countries and seen many cultures with their own eyes, right? Yet in the Washington DC area, I have met so many people who by the latter definition would be considered ‘men of the world.' But they are not. The only kinds of things they have to say after they return go something like this:
"You should have tasted the food! So different and good!"
"You should have seen those sites, how beautiful!"
"You should have been out in that water or at that event, we had so much fun!"
Some of those same people, who visited for instance, China, could not tell you what Assassin's Mace is, or why Sun Tzu is so important to the world. Are these people cultured? Are they really better off for having travelled to these countries just for different food, different sights, and different activities with different kinds of people? I don't think so.
My grandfather's kind of ‘man of the world' is a person who knows what is important in life, and lives by the universal truths that make the world around him a better place. He commanded an understanding of the world that was so righteous and dead-on, that even through tumultuous times, his choices resulted in better outcomes for all involved.
Simply put – August M. Kupco never added to the troubles of the world around him, and those troubles that other people created in his world, he did his best to correct or mitigate with his noble and gentle demeanor.
The world is always changing. Some changes are for the better and some are for the worse. I had an interesting discussion recently with a coworker named Brett who I liked a lot. He said that he thought we might be better off without any technology, going back to a natural way of living without governments or modern implements. I told him to go research hippies and communal living, and talk with me again after he looked at that. You see only decades ago, some people had the same thoughts as Brett, and they soon found out that their call for change brought forth problems that have already been conquered by religion, government, the rule of law, and technology. Every time someone calls for change, we have to admit that in the absence of empirical evidence and historical precedent, we are likely to abandon a universal truth that made life better.
Here lying before you is a traditional man, who knew those truths. Here lying before you is a shining light in the increasing darkness of change that overwhelms our society today.
I'm a conservative guy. I can thank this hero of a man for inspiring my own choices and behaviors that have led to my happy, perseverant, and successful life. To me, he is a role model like none other. The pieces of himself that he instilled in Kathy, Mark, and Joanne, were passed on to their own children. I see them in all of us, and I am thankful to him for it. This is what my grandfather means to me.
We are all thankful and grateful to have experienced the blessings of August in our lives. We are much better off for having had him as a father figure. There is a little bit of August in all of us, and we will carry on his wisdom, loyalty, and passion for life, by honoring the principles and traditions that he stood for, and making the right decisions in our own lives. Even though August is in the Lord's company as we speak now, we shall carry forth his memory on Earth, by holding his influence and our memories of him close to our hearts in all that we do.
God Bless my Grandfather, and may he rest well until we meet him again in the presence of our Lord, Amen.
and passed away on Nov. 29, 2007. Gus resided in Buffalo, NY.
I knew Gus from Sisters Hospital, where he worked as an engineer in the hospital boiler house. Really nice guy. He had to retire back in the 80's when he became ill. I hadn't seen Gus for probably 20 years. Last time I saw Gus was at Kenmore Mercy Hospital where I visited him when he became ill. I'll always have fond memories of Gus. May he rest in peace.
Eulogy given by Tom at Mr. Kupco's funeral mass:
I know that everyone is hurting now for the loss of my grandfather. I'm very hurt too; my grandfather is one of very few role models I've ever had. In a way, it hurts more because August was such a great man, but it makes me feel even more thankful to have so many incredible things about him to celebrate.
Today we honor loyalty. We celebrate August Kupco.
Today we honor passion for life, and what it is meant to be. We celebrate August Kupco.Today we honor wisdom. We celebrate August Kupco.I have collected a number of stories from many of you that show how August lived his life and what is important to him. Loyalty, wisdom, and passion for life are the things that I found in each story that you told. I told a story of my own a few weeks ago to my team, and my Grandfather was my inspiration. I had noticed that my teammates were struggling with motivation. I told them that "we are men of action. We are not men of words. If we move are hands and feet, things happen. We are not men of titles, nor status – these things mean nothing. Every man is nothing more than the summation of what he has chosen to do in life – and what he has chosen not to do."
August was a man of action, not words. I learned this by observing him. He showed his wisdom in silence, with action, and with his loving presence. I personally can count the number of role models that I have had in my entire life on one hand. My Grandfather, August, and his close friend, my Uncle Bud, Edwin Zwetsch were two of them.
One of the last times I remember seeing August smile was at Eileen's house with my Uncle Bud. Even when they were both struggling in their health, they were very happy to be with each other. There was a period of time when August would take the kids to Bud's place for swimming almost every evening. He loved visiting Eileen and Bud.
In their younger years, Bud and August made snow sculptures together with the kids. Bud was the artist, skillfully etching out images of Abraham Lincoln or Tanks. August was the worker, piling up the snow for him. Then they would flood the backyard so that everyone could ice skate. August and Bud would figure skate together, and whoever was lucky enough to watch them would agree that August was exceptionally skilled and graceful.
It's interesting to see how the characteristics of people carry over into all that they do. Just as August was graceful on the ice, he was a gentle and graceful man in many other endeavors. Even though August went hunting many times with Mike Guarnieri, Todd, Mark, and Alfonso, he never shot a deer after an incident that upset him. He had wounded a deer, but it was coughing up blood as he watched it run away. Worried that it was suffering, he almost got lost in the woods after chasing it to try and put it out of its misery. August still went hunting after this event, but he did so to be outdoors with his friends and family, not to kill deer. August even cried when he watched Bambi. He was a gentle and noble man. August took his daughters Kathy and Joanne hunting. When Kathy tried to shoot the gun, she fell over. When Mark was born years later, Kathy said "dad, now you have someone who will be strong enough to shoot the gun with you." Mark and his father August did this many times. Many of Mark's fondest times with his father were at Java where they would hike, hunt, and fish together.
August taught his son much more than how to hunt. He built Mark's first mini-bike with him from a kit and taught him how to drive his first car in 1976 – a 1970 Ford Galaxy 500.
August showed wisdom in the ways he raised his children. When Mildred bought a new house and Mark and August found an abandoned raft in a stream nearby, August warned that Mark would fall in the stream if he kept playing around on the raft. In the dead of winter, Mark sure enough returned from the stream, drenched in ice cold water from head to toe. August chose to reinforce the lesson to Mark by asking him repeatedly "Are you cold?" instead of saying something like "I told you so."
This is how August Kupco emanated graceful wisdom.
When August's kids were trying to get a start on their lives, August was always willing to give the kids a place in his home so that they wouldn't have to struggle. Mark was living in a Kenmore apartment early in his adulthood. His father looked at the apartment and said, "You know we could make something better than this for you, so that you won't have to pay rent."
Mark and his father went to work, remodeling the third floor into a fantastic apartment. August used scrap materials that were recycled from other places and they made a beautiful apartment. There wasn't anything that August couldn't fix, as long as he had enough time to "‘TINK" about it.
We all adored my Grandfather's mannerisms and sayings. Did August need a masterful command of oration to be a wise man? No. His wisdom, passion for life, and loyalty were present in all of his choices and actions.
Just as August was loyal to his family, he was also loyal to his Country. He was proud to serve in the Coast Guard, risking his life to defend the freedom and happiness that we all enjoy today. He met Connie Candlena in 1943 on Porter Avenue at a Hot Dog stand. They married shortly thereafter on December 14, 1944. At the same time, the newlywed August, magnanimous as he was, volunteered to deploy into battle in the North Pacific in place of his friend, who had a pregnant wife. What else do you need to know, to understand this man? He was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and family, for honor, and principle. August was a man of principle and action – showing with his choices what truly makes a great man.
When August came home from World War II in 1945, he completed the remainder of his career as a First Class Stationary Engineer, at Beck's, Iroquois, Meyer's Malt, and finally at Sister's Hospital.
During this time, he raised three fine children with his kind, gentle, and wise demeanor. He always spent time with the kids. He loved to cook and always pitched in – he never saw a difference between
‘men's work' and ‘women's work'. He did these chores without being asked. He was a loving and guiding force in his children's lives.
Sunday mornings were particularly special. He would make pancakes and eggs for the kids, and then read the comics with them. He taught the kids how to make wine from dandelions, rhubarbs, and pears.
August was also a protective and caring husband. If his wife had to park down the street at night, he would wait to watch for her and make sure that she got back to the house safely from her car.
Chip Cipolla describes August as ‘the nicest man he's ever known, and like a father to him'.
Bill Downy says that to August, family was the most important thing. He said that my Grandfather had a great smile and a great laugh. Bill never saw Augie without a hat. He said that August was an excellent carpenter and quite a figure skater.
And who could've known my Grandfather without enjoying his wonderful sense of humor?
When the young boys were coming to the house and sitting on the porch to socialize, August would come out and say: "Okay, you heathen blokes, are you behaving yourselves?" Then he would laugh. No one remembers this better than Chip Cipolla, who August called a heathen bloke as he walked through the back door to pick up Joanne Cipolla for their first date.
If the kids were misbehaving and not going to bed at night, August would come into the bed room and slap the bed with a belt and say that if they didn't go to bed he would hit them. But then as he was walking away, they could see him laughing to himself and smiling. He never actually hit them.
One of August's favorite jokes was to ask people if they wanted a piece of pie. When they said ‘yes', he'd say ‘go get it from the refrigerator'; but instead of finding pie in the fridge, they would just find a chuckling Augie waiting behind them to see the look of disappointment and laugh with them.
August was even joking in his last days.
Joanne would ask him, "Do you want something to eat?"
Poppi replies, "No."
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No."
"Do you want a kick in the rear end?"
"Yes."
As if we weren't blessed enough with August's loyalty, wisdom, passion, and humor, we are also blessed with the gifts of being led by his strong religious and spiritual convictions. August lived his life by God's
Word. We all owe our happiness and sanity to that one fact. And because of that one fact, we enjoyed a nuclear family that was free of artificial complications of secular and humanistic design.
So far, I've talked about what August has meant to the whole family. I'd like to talk now about what my grandfather has meant to me.
I would call my grandfather a ‘man of the world.' Is that surprising to many of you? When you think about a ‘man of the world' you usually think about someone who has travelled to many countries and seen many cultures with their own eyes, right? Yet in the Washington DC area, I have met so many people who by the latter definition would be considered ‘men of the world.' But they are not. The only kinds of things they have to say after they return go something like this:
"You should have tasted the food! So different and good!"
"You should have seen those sites, how beautiful!"
"You should have been out in that water or at that event, we had so much fun!"
Some of those same people, who visited for instance, China, could not tell you what Assassin's Mace is, or why Sun Tzu is so important to the world. Are these people cultured? Are they really better off for having travelled to these countries just for different food, different sights, and different activities with different kinds of people? I don't think so.
My grandfather's kind of ‘man of the world' is a person who knows what is important in life, and lives by the universal truths that make the world around him a better place. He commanded an understanding of the world that was so righteous and dead-on, that even through tumultuous times, his choices resulted in better outcomes for all involved.
Simply put – August M. Kupco never added to the troubles of the world around him, and those troubles that other people created in his world, he did his best to correct or mitigate with his noble and gentle demeanor.
The world is always changing. Some changes are for the better and some are for the worse. I had an interesting discussion recently with a coworker named Brett who I liked a lot. He said that he thought we might be better off without any technology, going back to a natural way of living without governments or modern implements. I told him to go research hippies and communal living, and talk with me again after he looked at that. You see only decades ago, some people had the same thoughts as Brett, and they soon found out that their call for change brought forth problems that have already been conquered by religion, government, the rule of law, and technology. Every time someone calls for change, we have to admit that in the absence of empirical evidence and historical precedent, we are likely to abandon a universal truth that made life better.
Here lying before you is a traditional man, who knew those truths. Here lying before you is a shining light in the increasing darkness of change that overwhelms our society today.
I'm a conservative guy. I can thank this hero of a man for inspiring my own choices and behaviors that have led to my happy, perseverant, and successful life. To me, he is a role model like none other. The pieces of himself that he instilled in Kathy, Mark, and Joanne, were passed on to their own children. I see them in all of us, and I am thankful to him for it. This is what my grandfather means to me.
We are all thankful and grateful to have experienced the blessings of August in our lives. We are much better off for having had him as a father figure. There is a little bit of August in all of us, and we will carry on his wisdom, loyalty, and passion for life, by honoring the principles and traditions that he stood for, and making the right decisions in our own lives. Even though August is in the Lord's company as we speak now, we shall carry forth his memory on Earth, by holding his influence and our memories of him close to our hearts in all that we do.
God Bless my Grandfather, and may he rest well until we meet him again in the presence of our Lord, Amen.
Mr. Kupco was born in Cudahy, Wisconsin on Aug. 23, 1920
and passed away on Nov. 29, 2007. Gus resided in Buffalo, NY.
I knew Gus from Sisters Hospital, where he worked as an engineer in the hospital boiler house. Really nice guy. He had to retire back in the 80's when he became ill. I hadn't seen Gus for probably 20 years. Last time I saw Gus was at Kenmore Mercy Hospital where I visited him when he became ill. I'll always have fond memories of Gus. May he rest in peace.
Eulogy given by Tom at Mr. Kupco's funeral mass:
I know that everyone is hurting now for the loss of my grandfather. I'm very hurt too; my grandfather is one of very few role models I've ever had. In a way, it hurts more because August was such a great man, but it makes me feel even more thankful to have so many incredible things about him to celebrate.
Today we honor loyalty. We celebrate August Kupco.
Today we honor passion for life, and what it is meant to be. We celebrate August Kupco.Today we honor wisdom. We celebrate August Kupco.I have collected a number of stories from many of you that show how August lived his life and what is important to him. Loyalty, wisdom, and passion for life are the things that I found in each story that you told. I told a story of my own a few weeks ago to my team, and my Grandfather was my inspiration. I had noticed that my teammates were struggling with motivation. I told them that "we are men of action. We are not men of words. If we move are hands and feet, things happen. We are not men of titles, nor status – these things mean nothing. Every man is nothing more than the summation of what he has chosen to do in life – and what he has chosen not to do."
August was a man of action, not words. I learned this by observing him. He showed his wisdom in silence, with action, and with his loving presence. I personally can count the number of role models that I have had in my entire life on one hand. My Grandfather, August, and his close friend, my Uncle Bud, Edwin Zwetsch were two of them.
One of the last times I remember seeing August smile was at Eileen's house with my Uncle Bud. Even when they were both struggling in their health, they were very happy to be with each other. There was a period of time when August would take the kids to Bud's place for swimming almost every evening. He loved visiting Eileen and Bud.
In their younger years, Bud and August made snow sculptures together with the kids. Bud was the artist, skillfully etching out images of Abraham Lincoln or Tanks. August was the worker, piling up the snow for him. Then they would flood the backyard so that everyone could ice skate. August and Bud would figure skate together, and whoever was lucky enough to watch them would agree that August was exceptionally skilled and graceful.
It's interesting to see how the characteristics of people carry over into all that they do. Just as August was graceful on the ice, he was a gentle and graceful man in many other endeavors. Even though August went hunting many times with Mike Guarnieri, Todd, Mark, and Alfonso, he never shot a deer after an incident that upset him. He had wounded a deer, but it was coughing up blood as he watched it run away. Worried that it was suffering, he almost got lost in the woods after chasing it to try and put it out of its misery. August still went hunting after this event, but he did so to be outdoors with his friends and family, not to kill deer. August even cried when he watched Bambi. He was a gentle and noble man. August took his daughters Kathy and Joanne hunting. When Kathy tried to shoot the gun, she fell over. When Mark was born years later, Kathy said "dad, now you have someone who will be strong enough to shoot the gun with you." Mark and his father August did this many times. Many of Mark's fondest times with his father were at Java where they would hike, hunt, and fish together.
August taught his son much more than how to hunt. He built Mark's first mini-bike with him from a kit and taught him how to drive his first car in 1976 – a 1970 Ford Galaxy 500.
August showed wisdom in the ways he raised his children. When Mildred bought a new house and Mark and August found an abandoned raft in a stream nearby, August warned that Mark would fall in the stream if he kept playing around on the raft. In the dead of winter, Mark sure enough returned from the stream, drenched in ice cold water from head to toe. August chose to reinforce the lesson to Mark by asking him repeatedly "Are you cold?" instead of saying something like "I told you so."
This is how August Kupco emanated graceful wisdom.
When August's kids were trying to get a start on their lives, August was always willing to give the kids a place in his home so that they wouldn't have to struggle. Mark was living in a Kenmore apartment early in his adulthood. His father looked at the apartment and said, "You know we could make something better than this for you, so that you won't have to pay rent."
Mark and his father went to work, remodeling the third floor into a fantastic apartment. August used scrap materials that were recycled from other places and they made a beautiful apartment. There wasn't anything that August couldn't fix, as long as he had enough time to "‘TINK" about it.
We all adored my Grandfather's mannerisms and sayings. Did August need a masterful command of oration to be a wise man? No. His wisdom, passion for life, and loyalty were present in all of his choices and actions.
Just as August was loyal to his family, he was also loyal to his Country. He was proud to serve in the Coast Guard, risking his life to defend the freedom and happiness that we all enjoy today. He met Connie Candlena in 1943 on Porter Avenue at a Hot Dog stand. They married shortly thereafter on December 14, 1944. At the same time, the newlywed August, magnanimous as he was, volunteered to deploy into battle in the North Pacific in place of his friend, who had a pregnant wife. What else do you need to know, to understand this man? He was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and family, for honor, and principle. August was a man of principle and action – showing with his choices what truly makes a great man.
When August came home from World War II in 1945, he completed the remainder of his career as a First Class Stationary Engineer, at Beck's, Iroquois, Meyer's Malt, and finally at Sister's Hospital.
During this time, he raised three fine children with his kind, gentle, and wise demeanor. He always spent time with the kids. He loved to cook and always pitched in – he never saw a difference between
‘men's work' and ‘women's work'. He did these chores without being asked. He was a loving and guiding force in his children's lives.
Sunday mornings were particularly special. He would make pancakes and eggs for the kids, and then read the comics with them. He taught the kids how to make wine from dandelions, rhubarbs, and pears.
August was also a protective and caring husband. If his wife had to park down the street at night, he would wait to watch for her and make sure that she got back to the house safely from her car.
Chip Cipolla describes August as ‘the nicest man he's ever known, and like a father to him'.
Bill Downy says that to August, family was the most important thing. He said that my Grandfather had a great smile and a great laugh. Bill never saw Augie without a hat. He said that August was an excellent carpenter and quite a figure skater.
And who could've known my Grandfather without enjoying his wonderful sense of humor?
When the young boys were coming to the house and sitting on the porch to socialize, August would come out and say: "Okay, you heathen blokes, are you behaving yourselves?" Then he would laugh. No one remembers this better than Chip Cipolla, who August called a heathen bloke as he walked through the back door to pick up Joanne Cipolla for their first date.
If the kids were misbehaving and not going to bed at night, August would come into the bed room and slap the bed with a belt and say that if they didn't go to bed he would hit them. But then as he was walking away, they could see him laughing to himself and smiling. He never actually hit them.
One of August's favorite jokes was to ask people if they wanted a piece of pie. When they said ‘yes', he'd say ‘go get it from the refrigerator'; but instead of finding pie in the fridge, they would just find a chuckling Augie waiting behind them to see the look of disappointment and laugh with them.
August was even joking in his last days.
Joanne would ask him, "Do you want something to eat?"
Poppi replies, "No."
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No."
"Do you want a kick in the rear end?"
"Yes."
As if we weren't blessed enough with August's loyalty, wisdom, passion, and humor, we are also blessed with the gifts of being led by his strong religious and spiritual convictions. August lived his life by God's
Word. We all owe our happiness and sanity to that one fact. And because of that one fact, we enjoyed a nuclear family that was free of artificial complications of secular and humanistic design.
So far, I've talked about what August has meant to the whole family. I'd like to talk now about what my grandfather has meant to me.
I would call my grandfather a ‘man of the world.' Is that surprising to many of you? When you think about a ‘man of the world' you usually think about someone who has travelled to many countries and seen many cultures with their own eyes, right? Yet in the Washington DC area, I have met so many people who by the latter definition would be considered ‘men of the world.' But they are not. The only kinds of things they have to say after they return go something like this:
"You should have tasted the food! So different and good!"
"You should have seen those sites, how beautiful!"
"You should have been out in that water or at that event, we had so much fun!"
Some of those same people, who visited for instance, China, could not tell you what Assassin's Mace is, or why Sun Tzu is so important to the world. Are these people cultured? Are they really better off for having travelled to these countries just for different food, different sights, and different activities with different kinds of people? I don't think so.
My grandfather's kind of ‘man of the world' is a person who knows what is important in life, and lives by the universal truths that make the world around him a better place. He commanded an understanding of the world that was so righteous and dead-on, that even through tumultuous times, his choices resulted in better outcomes for all involved.
Simply put – August M. Kupco never added to the troubles of the world around him, and those troubles that other people created in his world, he did his best to correct or mitigate with his noble and gentle demeanor.
The world is always changing. Some changes are for the better and some are for the worse. I had an interesting discussion recently with a coworker named Brett who I liked a lot. He said that he thought we might be better off without any technology, going back to a natural way of living without governments or modern implements. I told him to go research hippies and communal living, and talk with me again after he looked at that. You see only decades ago, some people had the same thoughts as Brett, and they soon found out that their call for change brought forth problems that have already been conquered by religion, government, the rule of law, and technology. Every time someone calls for change, we have to admit that in the absence of empirical evidence and historical precedent, we are likely to abandon a universal truth that made life better.
Here lying before you is a traditional man, who knew those truths. Here lying before you is a shining light in the increasing darkness of change that overwhelms our society today.
I'm a conservative guy. I can thank this hero of a man for inspiring my own choices and behaviors that have led to my happy, perseverant, and successful life. To me, he is a role model like none other. The pieces of himself that he instilled in Kathy, Mark, and Joanne, were passed on to their own children. I see them in all of us, and I am thankful to him for it. This is what my grandfather means to me.
We are all thankful and grateful to have experienced the blessings of August in our lives. We are much better off for having had him as a father figure. There is a little bit of August in all of us, and we will carry on his wisdom, loyalty, and passion for life, by honoring the principles and traditions that he stood for, and making the right decisions in our own lives. Even though August is in the Lord's company as we speak now, we shall carry forth his memory on Earth, by holding his influence and our memories of him close to our hearts in all that we do.
God Bless my Grandfather, and may he rest well until we meet him again in the presence of our Lord, Amen.
and passed away on Nov. 29, 2007. Gus resided in Buffalo, NY.
I knew Gus from Sisters Hospital, where he worked as an engineer in the hospital boiler house. Really nice guy. He had to retire back in the 80's when he became ill. I hadn't seen Gus for probably 20 years. Last time I saw Gus was at Kenmore Mercy Hospital where I visited him when he became ill. I'll always have fond memories of Gus. May he rest in peace.
Eulogy given by Tom at Mr. Kupco's funeral mass:
I know that everyone is hurting now for the loss of my grandfather. I'm very hurt too; my grandfather is one of very few role models I've ever had. In a way, it hurts more because August was such a great man, but it makes me feel even more thankful to have so many incredible things about him to celebrate.
Today we honor loyalty. We celebrate August Kupco.
Today we honor passion for life, and what it is meant to be. We celebrate August Kupco.Today we honor wisdom. We celebrate August Kupco.I have collected a number of stories from many of you that show how August lived his life and what is important to him. Loyalty, wisdom, and passion for life are the things that I found in each story that you told. I told a story of my own a few weeks ago to my team, and my Grandfather was my inspiration. I had noticed that my teammates were struggling with motivation. I told them that "we are men of action. We are not men of words. If we move are hands and feet, things happen. We are not men of titles, nor status – these things mean nothing. Every man is nothing more than the summation of what he has chosen to do in life – and what he has chosen not to do."
August was a man of action, not words. I learned this by observing him. He showed his wisdom in silence, with action, and with his loving presence. I personally can count the number of role models that I have had in my entire life on one hand. My Grandfather, August, and his close friend, my Uncle Bud, Edwin Zwetsch were two of them.
One of the last times I remember seeing August smile was at Eileen's house with my Uncle Bud. Even when they were both struggling in their health, they were very happy to be with each other. There was a period of time when August would take the kids to Bud's place for swimming almost every evening. He loved visiting Eileen and Bud.
In their younger years, Bud and August made snow sculptures together with the kids. Bud was the artist, skillfully etching out images of Abraham Lincoln or Tanks. August was the worker, piling up the snow for him. Then they would flood the backyard so that everyone could ice skate. August and Bud would figure skate together, and whoever was lucky enough to watch them would agree that August was exceptionally skilled and graceful.
It's interesting to see how the characteristics of people carry over into all that they do. Just as August was graceful on the ice, he was a gentle and graceful man in many other endeavors. Even though August went hunting many times with Mike Guarnieri, Todd, Mark, and Alfonso, he never shot a deer after an incident that upset him. He had wounded a deer, but it was coughing up blood as he watched it run away. Worried that it was suffering, he almost got lost in the woods after chasing it to try and put it out of its misery. August still went hunting after this event, but he did so to be outdoors with his friends and family, not to kill deer. August even cried when he watched Bambi. He was a gentle and noble man. August took his daughters Kathy and Joanne hunting. When Kathy tried to shoot the gun, she fell over. When Mark was born years later, Kathy said "dad, now you have someone who will be strong enough to shoot the gun with you." Mark and his father August did this many times. Many of Mark's fondest times with his father were at Java where they would hike, hunt, and fish together.
August taught his son much more than how to hunt. He built Mark's first mini-bike with him from a kit and taught him how to drive his first car in 1976 – a 1970 Ford Galaxy 500.
August showed wisdom in the ways he raised his children. When Mildred bought a new house and Mark and August found an abandoned raft in a stream nearby, August warned that Mark would fall in the stream if he kept playing around on the raft. In the dead of winter, Mark sure enough returned from the stream, drenched in ice cold water from head to toe. August chose to reinforce the lesson to Mark by asking him repeatedly "Are you cold?" instead of saying something like "I told you so."
This is how August Kupco emanated graceful wisdom.
When August's kids were trying to get a start on their lives, August was always willing to give the kids a place in his home so that they wouldn't have to struggle. Mark was living in a Kenmore apartment early in his adulthood. His father looked at the apartment and said, "You know we could make something better than this for you, so that you won't have to pay rent."
Mark and his father went to work, remodeling the third floor into a fantastic apartment. August used scrap materials that were recycled from other places and they made a beautiful apartment. There wasn't anything that August couldn't fix, as long as he had enough time to "‘TINK" about it.
We all adored my Grandfather's mannerisms and sayings. Did August need a masterful command of oration to be a wise man? No. His wisdom, passion for life, and loyalty were present in all of his choices and actions.
Just as August was loyal to his family, he was also loyal to his Country. He was proud to serve in the Coast Guard, risking his life to defend the freedom and happiness that we all enjoy today. He met Connie Candlena in 1943 on Porter Avenue at a Hot Dog stand. They married shortly thereafter on December 14, 1944. At the same time, the newlywed August, magnanimous as he was, volunteered to deploy into battle in the North Pacific in place of his friend, who had a pregnant wife. What else do you need to know, to understand this man? He was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and family, for honor, and principle. August was a man of principle and action – showing with his choices what truly makes a great man.
When August came home from World War II in 1945, he completed the remainder of his career as a First Class Stationary Engineer, at Beck's, Iroquois, Meyer's Malt, and finally at Sister's Hospital.
During this time, he raised three fine children with his kind, gentle, and wise demeanor. He always spent time with the kids. He loved to cook and always pitched in – he never saw a difference between
‘men's work' and ‘women's work'. He did these chores without being asked. He was a loving and guiding force in his children's lives.
Sunday mornings were particularly special. He would make pancakes and eggs for the kids, and then read the comics with them. He taught the kids how to make wine from dandelions, rhubarbs, and pears.
August was also a protective and caring husband. If his wife had to park down the street at night, he would wait to watch for her and make sure that she got back to the house safely from her car.
Chip Cipolla describes August as ‘the nicest man he's ever known, and like a father to him'.
Bill Downy says that to August, family was the most important thing. He said that my Grandfather had a great smile and a great laugh. Bill never saw Augie without a hat. He said that August was an excellent carpenter and quite a figure skater.
And who could've known my Grandfather without enjoying his wonderful sense of humor?
When the young boys were coming to the house and sitting on the porch to socialize, August would come out and say: "Okay, you heathen blokes, are you behaving yourselves?" Then he would laugh. No one remembers this better than Chip Cipolla, who August called a heathen bloke as he walked through the back door to pick up Joanne Cipolla for their first date.
If the kids were misbehaving and not going to bed at night, August would come into the bed room and slap the bed with a belt and say that if they didn't go to bed he would hit them. But then as he was walking away, they could see him laughing to himself and smiling. He never actually hit them.
One of August's favorite jokes was to ask people if they wanted a piece of pie. When they said ‘yes', he'd say ‘go get it from the refrigerator'; but instead of finding pie in the fridge, they would just find a chuckling Augie waiting behind them to see the look of disappointment and laugh with them.
August was even joking in his last days.
Joanne would ask him, "Do you want something to eat?"
Poppi replies, "No."
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No."
"Do you want a kick in the rear end?"
"Yes."
As if we weren't blessed enough with August's loyalty, wisdom, passion, and humor, we are also blessed with the gifts of being led by his strong religious and spiritual convictions. August lived his life by God's
Word. We all owe our happiness and sanity to that one fact. And because of that one fact, we enjoyed a nuclear family that was free of artificial complications of secular and humanistic design.
So far, I've talked about what August has meant to the whole family. I'd like to talk now about what my grandfather has meant to me.
I would call my grandfather a ‘man of the world.' Is that surprising to many of you? When you think about a ‘man of the world' you usually think about someone who has travelled to many countries and seen many cultures with their own eyes, right? Yet in the Washington DC area, I have met so many people who by the latter definition would be considered ‘men of the world.' But they are not. The only kinds of things they have to say after they return go something like this:
"You should have tasted the food! So different and good!"
"You should have seen those sites, how beautiful!"
"You should have been out in that water or at that event, we had so much fun!"
Some of those same people, who visited for instance, China, could not tell you what Assassin's Mace is, or why Sun Tzu is so important to the world. Are these people cultured? Are they really better off for having travelled to these countries just for different food, different sights, and different activities with different kinds of people? I don't think so.
My grandfather's kind of ‘man of the world' is a person who knows what is important in life, and lives by the universal truths that make the world around him a better place. He commanded an understanding of the world that was so righteous and dead-on, that even through tumultuous times, his choices resulted in better outcomes for all involved.
Simply put – August M. Kupco never added to the troubles of the world around him, and those troubles that other people created in his world, he did his best to correct or mitigate with his noble and gentle demeanor.
The world is always changing. Some changes are for the better and some are for the worse. I had an interesting discussion recently with a coworker named Brett who I liked a lot. He said that he thought we might be better off without any technology, going back to a natural way of living without governments or modern implements. I told him to go research hippies and communal living, and talk with me again after he looked at that. You see only decades ago, some people had the same thoughts as Brett, and they soon found out that their call for change brought forth problems that have already been conquered by religion, government, the rule of law, and technology. Every time someone calls for change, we have to admit that in the absence of empirical evidence and historical precedent, we are likely to abandon a universal truth that made life better.
Here lying before you is a traditional man, who knew those truths. Here lying before you is a shining light in the increasing darkness of change that overwhelms our society today.
I'm a conservative guy. I can thank this hero of a man for inspiring my own choices and behaviors that have led to my happy, perseverant, and successful life. To me, he is a role model like none other. The pieces of himself that he instilled in Kathy, Mark, and Joanne, were passed on to their own children. I see them in all of us, and I am thankful to him for it. This is what my grandfather means to me.
We are all thankful and grateful to have experienced the blessings of August in our lives. We are much better off for having had him as a father figure. There is a little bit of August in all of us, and we will carry on his wisdom, loyalty, and passion for life, by honoring the principles and traditions that he stood for, and making the right decisions in our own lives. Even though August is in the Lord's company as we speak now, we shall carry forth his memory on Earth, by holding his influence and our memories of him close to our hearts in all that we do.
God Bless my Grandfather, and may he rest well until we meet him again in the presence of our Lord, Amen.
