Our family remembers Independence Day

Feed the priest!

Reprinted and adapted from previous years

Dad was always proud of being born on Independence Day. What are the odds? — two of his sisters were also born on the Fourth! So it was natural that July 4 was occasion for a family reunion. Introduced the Lovely Lisa to one such on Uncle Cy’s farm just north of Watertown WI. That was almost 50 years ago! Really should have written a cheat sheet with the names of the nine members of my father’s generation, their children, grandchildren, and assorted surviving sisters of Grandma Rose, herself one of 11.

Growing up, those Independence Day gatherings were held at Grandpa J.M. and Grandma Rose (Schuster)’s farm, just down the road from our farm in the Town of Sun Prairie. Or at Angell Park in the city. Uncle Greg would have to leave early to milk the cows.

Deal the cards

Later on, Cyril and Grace (Counsell) Blaska hosted annual Independence Day parties at their farm north of Watertown, decorated with red, white and blue flags, balloons, and streamers.

Cy Blaska (1914-2001)was known as the King of Corn and the Prince of Peas, given his leadership role in Wisconsin vegetable processing. Cy liked to direct the operation through a bullhorn. One year Bulgarians learning the dairy business at Uncle Greg and Cousin John’s modern dairy operation were invited. They loved waving the American flag. Cy barked into the bullhorn: “Would someone please feed the foreigners. Feed the foreigners.”

Jerome Blaska (1919-2000) served in WW2 in the Aleutian Island theater, was elected to the state legislature where he chaired the Highway Committee building the Interstate, and raised six children with our mother, Helen (Curl) (1915-1981). He was also proud of his field crops. One of nine siblings, father shared his birth date on Independence Day with older sister Evelyn (Owens) (1910-2002) and younger sister Juanita “Dolly” Blaska (1920-1994), herself a U.S. Army veteran.

Aunt Evelyn became an associate  professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She titled her autobiography: Deal the Cards. Her book relates how Grandma Rose, well into her 90s, is told that son John Jr. (1923-1978) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She processes that for awhile, then announces “Deal the cards.”

Among the family were a smattering of priests and ancient religious nuns. Cy commanded, “Feed the priest. Will someone please feed the priest.” Father Val Schuster — cousins to Grandma Rose (1885-1979) — of St. Jerome’s in Oconomowoc married us. His brother Wilfred founded St. Maria Goretti Church here in Orchard Ridge, Madison. The brothers grew up on the farm across the road from ours 1½ miles east of Sun Prairie.

Boil the sweet corn

Brother Mike, Cousin John and cousin-in-law Gordie Howe (Margaret Blaska) boiled the sweet corn. Cy chased various blood relatives out of the kitchen because they were not preparing the peas properly. He paid the Lovely Lisa the ultimate complement, “You’re the best Blaska of them all” after he approved of her peas.

Uncle Greg (1925-2003) liked to gig his older brother by transplanting a stalk of field corn from his farm — it came up to a man’s armpit — into Cy’s field, which was only knee-high on that Fourth of July, then tease him about it. It was a competitive family. These reunions were good for at least one loud argument between the brothers. Then the four would sit down for a game of euchre or sheepshead and the sisters — including Lila (1912-2005) and Elaine (1928-2003) did the same at their own table while my generation played volleyball. As a Navy Captain, aunt Burdette (1917-2012) was usually away.

No Blaska family reunion was complete without speeches. The various members had served on city councils, town boards, county boards, school boards, and the state legislature. As well as farm and veterans organizations. Cy co-chaired WI Democrats for Nixon in 1972. Greg was big in milk cooperatives; he and son John served on the Sun Prairie school board. Brother Mike chaired the Dane County Board for four of his 18 years of service. John and Mike also chaired the Town of Sun Prairie, as had grandfather. We like to keep the town in the family.

As darkness fell on Cy and Grace’s farm, a huge pile of brush chock-a-block with high grade explosives was doused in gasoline and then lit. For good measure, your correspondent fired his father’s .22 caliber handgun into the exploding fury.

The last of the Greatest Generation left us in December 2016 — Laura (Klein) Blaska (Mrs. Gregory) formidable in her own right. They farmed great-grandpa’s land. The nine Blaska siblings, most of whom came of age during the Great Depression and five of whom served in WW2, were raised Catholic, Democrat, and close to the soil. Our Boomer generation was indeed privileged to learn from the Greatest Generation before us. We were taught one should enjoy yourself thoroughly but only after getting your work done. It was expected that you serve the larger community, keep your word, and stand up for what was right.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Remember father saying “Nobody tells me what to think.” Maybe that’s my problem.

Enjoy this Independence Day and cherish every day!