Bartholomew "Joe" Mikolajczyk

Silver and gold are not the only coin; virtue too passes current all over the world. - Euripides

Some men live their lives indebted to everyone around them, borrowing, begging and spending, with no money and even less sense. Joe Mikolajczyk certainly wasn't one of them. He was a man who always saved, and who always shared. Joe was a devoted husband, loving father and faithful friend. He collected coins, precious pieces that only gathered value, virtue, and love as the years went by. Just like Joe.

Joe's story began on a cold winter day in 1917, in the little town of Mishawaka, Indiana. Those were difficult times in this country, which had finally been thrust into the terrible fray of World War I, such a costly conflict for so many. Yet on January 8, 1917, John and Bernice (Arendt) Mikolajczyk found reason to celebrate, with the birth of a baby boy, a son they named Bartholomew, but would be known as Joe.

Joe attended school in Mishawaka until the eighth grade, when the family packed up and moved to Three Rivers, Michigan, after his father bought a farm in the tiny town of Leonidas. Joe left school to help his dad on the farm, during those dark days of the Great Depression. He used to walk the cows in from the fields each day.

Eventually Joe took a job at a furniture company in Schoolcraft, delivering furniture, and also found work driving new cars out west for delivery, in the days before semi-trucks transported them! Joe loved it, though, to be able to drive, and to enjoy the adventure along the way.

When Joe was 19, he met a beautiful young woman named Mary DeLong, and the sparks flew between them. She was just 16, but they fell quickly in love, and were married on Halloween in 1936, in Goshen, Indiana, a popular place to marry in those days. Mary would become a huge Elvis Presley fan later in life, and enjoyed that her husband shared a birthday with the star.

Uncle Sam called Joe and he responded like many young men of his time did. Joe went to Chicago to go through the enlistment process only to find out that he had flat feet and as such, was relieved of his duty to country. Mary was relieved but Joe was disappointed as he wanted to serve.

It wasn't long before the newlyweds became parents, as well. Their son was born in 1937, though sadly, lived just six months before he died. Their daughter Joan arrived in 1939, and Phyllis rounded out the family in 1943, filling their lives with such happiness over the years.

After he was married, Joe found work in the Kalamazoo area as a truck driver, as well as an upholsterer. Eventually he took a job at the KVP paper mill in Parchment in 1942, working as a papermaker, which he enjoyed very much. Having lived through the Depression, Joe was always very careful with his money, and took every chance he had to earn extra income, even working holidays and extra shifts at the mill. The young family started out in a little duplex on Emerson Street, before building their family home at 603 Parchmount in 1951.His daughter Phyllis recalls the many trips her and dad took to Leonidas to gather just the right rocks to make the sizable rock wall at the edge of the property. The irony of course was that when the city regarded the property there they filled it in half way up the wall!

When he wasn't working, Joe enjoyed many different activities, from religiously watching Lawrence Welk, to faithfully attending St. Ambrose in Parchment. He also enjoyed baseball, and played on the Vermulen's softball team in the late 1930s. Joe loved fishing, and though he famously disliked travel, he went to Furgus Falls, Minnesota a few times on fishing trips. On sunny, summer Sundays, his family dragged Joe to the Lake Michigan beach with them. Later in life, after Joe retired from the mill after 39 years, his wife wanted to travel more, but knowing her husband, she joined a travel club and went by herself!

In 1964, Joe's brother-in-law introduced him to a hobby that would become his passion: coin collecting. Joe became a devoted numismatist, having always been fascinated and appreciative of money! He collected primarily coins for many years, and in 1974 he began collecting paper currency, as well. He joined the Michigan State Numismatic Society, the Coin Club of Kalamazoo, and the American Numismatic Association, too. He also was put in charge of setting up the enormous Dearborn coin show, which always fell right around Thanksgiving. Sometimes Joe would even forgo the holiday feast to prepare for his annual event!

Joe was always careful about his money but always was willing to help his family. One time, his daughter Joan had borrowed $1,000. When she went to pay him back, she got a $1,000 bill from the bank. Joe wasn't very amused as the currency was now out of circulation and he couldn't cash it!

Joe loved collecting coins for their beauty, history, and most of all, hard, dependable currency. He was always a cash man, and never understood the purpose of using credit cards. Joe never borrowed for today, never owed anything to his tomorrows. He was an honest man, with traditional sensibilities, and being able to depend on something he valued above all, from his beloved Collies, Trixie and Holly, to his cars. He was an Oldsmobile man, and the last five cars he owned were all Olds Delta 88s.

Sadly, Joe died Monday, March 12, 2007, at Borgess Medical Center, at the age of 90.

Joe was a hardworking, honest man, a good man with a good life. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to so many. He was a man who collected coins, so rare, so precious, and so treasured. Just like him. He will be greatly missed.

Learn more about Joe, View his Life Story film and visit with his family and friends Thursday 4:00-8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler & Thompson 60900 M-40 657-3870 where a service to honor his life will be held Friday at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Mt. Ever-Rest South Cemetery. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary in 1997, his grandson Bradley Burnham in 1985 and his brother Herman in 1985. He is survived by his two daughters, Joan (Gale) Barfelz of Tyron, OK, Phyllis (David) Manning of Paw Paw, 5 grandchildren; Scott Burnham and Shelly Burnham of Paw Paw, Kim Dunham of Homewood, IL, Mark Manning of Tuscola, TX, Karen Munson of Mattawan, 6 great-grandchildren; Brandee Manning, Rachael Manning, Elizabeth Munson, Kyle Munson and Maija Dunham and one brother, Richard Mikolajczyk of Leonidas, MI. To read Joe's complete Life Story, share a favorite memory, or a make memorial contribution to Hospice Care of S.W. Michigan, please visit his personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com.