In July 2023, we had the 50 th & final Family reunion at Nicki & Darcy s house in portage la prairie, mb.
About 70 people attended. Rob Suski won the final Golf Tournament. We also had the peanut/candy scramble for the kids.
We also had an adult peanut/candy scramble but a lot of wrestling and cheating was going on.
Its been over 20 years since we posted on this site as we forgot how to edit this site.
A lot of things changed in that time. Florence s Husband Clarence passed away,, Lil s husband Les passed away,
Our Brother Elmer and his wife Donna passed away in 2004
Nicki & Darcy s young Daughter Sammy passed away in 2002, Wayne White passed away in 2022 just to name a few.
Also, Kaitlin Empey married Josh Willy and had 3 sons. Frances Maiers had a baby,
Quinn Lawrence married Fernando Sternberg. They now have a baby boy named Tommy.
Mckenah Lawrence married Kyle Thomas . The whole world is changing. Too numerous to name here.
2021 and 2022 brought a major world covid virus and the whole world was locked down and wore masks.
The reason we say 'final' Family reunion is because the original Brothers and Sisters are getting too old to carry on.
As of November 4, 2023,;Lil is ,,89,,, Florence is 88,,,Elmer passed away,,, Gerry is 80,, Irvin is 78,,Bernice is 74,,,and Gibby is 72.
Our Family has grown and scattered and cousins don't even know each other, so,,, this era is coming to an end.
The only Son left to carry on the Suski name is Cory Suski who also has a son. Cory and his Family live in USA.
About 70 people attended. Rob Suski won the final Golf Tournament. We also had the peanut/candy scramble for the kids.
We also had an adult peanut/candy scramble but a lot of wrestling and cheating was going on.
Its been over 20 years since we posted on this site as we forgot how to edit this site.
A lot of things changed in that time. Florence s Husband Clarence passed away,, Lil s husband Les passed away,
Our Brother Elmer and his wife Donna passed away in 2004
Nicki & Darcy s young Daughter Sammy passed away in 2002, Wayne White passed away in 2022 just to name a few.
Also, Kaitlin Empey married Josh Willy and had 3 sons. Frances Maiers had a baby,
Quinn Lawrence married Fernando Sternberg. They now have a baby boy named Tommy.
Mckenah Lawrence married Kyle Thomas . The whole world is changing. Too numerous to name here.
2021 and 2022 brought a major world covid virus and the whole world was locked down and wore masks.
The reason we say 'final' Family reunion is because the original Brothers and Sisters are getting too old to carry on.
As of November 4, 2023,;Lil is ,,89,,, Florence is 88,,,Elmer passed away,,, Gerry is 80,, Irvin is 78,,Bernice is 74,,,and Gibby is 72.
Our Family has grown and scattered and cousins don't even know each other, so,,, this era is coming to an end.
The only Son left to carry on the Suski name is Cory Suski who also has a son. Cory and his Family live in USA.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - n Frank and Beatrice (nee Kulbacki) Szucki (Suski) Family Reunion
Background:
To understand a bit of family history, we must learn a little about where we came from. Frank’s and Beatrice’s farming ancestors immigrated to Canada from Poland in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as being amongst the first families settling in the beautiful Polonia valley district. It was then called Huns Valley. People coming from parts of Eastern Europe –such as Poland, Ukraine, Hungary-- were long ago collectively called “Huns”. The people of that area were often over-run by the Huns – as in Attila the Hun--of nearby Asia and some inter-marrying occurred. As a result, one of the facial features of Beatrice’s siblings in particular is the high cheekbones and darker shade of skin.
Poland over the centuries was invaded, plundered, occupied and divided up by Germany, Russia, and Austria. Frank’s family lived in the German occupied western area of Poland. Beatrice’s family lived in the Russian occupied area of eastern Poland. So the two families displayed some differences. Although the two families spoke Polish even though the occupying powers forbade the use of the Polish language, there were differences, for example, in facial features-Germanic or Russian – due to intermarrying over the centuries. According to Richard Kulbacki, our cousin, the ancestry of Poland includes invading Vikings, which accounts for the red hair in the family of an uncle of Beatrice and of Frank and Beatrice’s great-grandchild, Marni. It’s in the genes.
Frank’s grandparents-- Joseph Sr. and Francis Szucki--with their children, came to Canada via the Buffalo, New York route. It is believed that Beatrice’s father—Anthony Kulbacki-- came to Canada directly. The government of Canada wanted immigrants from Eastern Europe to farm on the prairies as they were hardy, hard workers, frugal farmers, resourceful, and could adapt to the hardships of breaking the land, the harsh climate and of pioneer living. The English residents of Canada did not always welcome these immigrants as they were “different”, and did not speak English.
Beatrice’s father, Anthony Kulbacki, came to Canada after his uncle and brother were established in the Polonia area. The Russian military came to the family farm in Poland and said they would be drafting Anthony into the Russian army. So Anthony’s parents borrowed money and bribed the occupying officials to provide the necessary and legal papers for him to emigrate to Canada. They never again saw their sons, Xavier (who had come to Canada earlier) and Anthony. These two sons never met two of their sisters who were born after they left the family in Poland.
Frank’s parents—Frank Szucki Sr. and Mary Nykart (Nickart) -- lived in the “Germanic influenced” western area of Polonia Valley and eventually, through frugal living, bought him a small farm to get him started. As a bachelor it was up to Frank to work hard to establish this farm and enlarge it. Beatrice’s brother, Donald Kulbacki, later stated to his son Richard, that Frank was such a hard worker that no one could keep up with him.
Beatrice’s parents – Anthony Kulbacki and Josephine Kwiatkowski--lived in the “Russian influenced” eastern area of Polonia Valley. Her father broke his leg when she was about 9 years old so she had to quit school, as the oldest child, and help her father run the house and take care of her siblings while her mother did the farming. This took a long time as they lived far from medical treatment, the bone setting did not go well and had to be redone. As a result, Beatrice had to abandon her dreams of becoming a nurse. As she grew to be a young woman, being courted by Frank factored into that decision as well.
The religious and social lives of families of Polonia settlement revolved around their Roman Catholic faith and heritage. St. Elizabeth Church and hall was the hub of Polonia residents. Beatrice’s grandparents - the John Sr. and Magdalena (Kasprick) Kwiatkowski family-- donated the land on which the church and hall are built. Frank sang in the choir and was known to have a beautiful voice according to a statement made to Bernice by a local Polonia area resident, when Frank was 92 years old.
An excerpt from a letter written on September, 7th, 1891, to the Canadian Minister of Agriculture, by the founder of Huns Valley, Count Geza Stephen de Dory, states: “About the morality of these people; they are, with two exceptions, all Roman Catholics, sober and religious in their daily life, and during the six years I had not one single court case—in fact, they do not know if a judge exists or not.” Quoted from the Polonia history book.
Frank began courting Beatrice. Beatrice related a story which points to the gentleness and dignity of the time. When Frank and Beatrice would sit on a bench in the lane leading to the Kulbacki farmyard, her father would be sure he had business to attend to which took him and his wagon, pulled by the family horses, several times down the lane, past the bench, in order to keep a watchful and protective eye on the courtship happening with Frank and Beatrice.
Frank and Beatrice were married in St. Elizabeth’s Church in Polonia on November 14th, 1932—the same church in which they were baptized. Beatrice’s uncle, John Kwiatkowski Jr., drove the bridal horse and sleigh to the church and back to the Kulbacki farm for the reception, and after the Mass, in celebration, John fired his shotgun into the air. This scared the horses which apparently did not please Frank, who loved animals. The guests were fed in the small Kulbacki log house down the road from the church. The furniture was then moved out of the house to make room for dancing, with music being supplied by a local orchestra.
As time went on, in order to make the spelling easier for the English, the “Suski” spelling became common among the descendants of the original Joseph Szucki Sr. family (one of the very early settlers of Huns Valley) – the grandfather of Frank . Frank and Beatrice did not legally change their name spelling. After retirement Frank went back to using the original and legal “Szucki” spelling, as did Bernice and Gilbert.
Frank and Beatrice farmed in Elk Ranch and Riding Mountain before moving to Neepawa in 1956, where Frank worked at the Salt Plant, while renting out their Riding Mountain land. Eventually they did sell the farm. Their seven kids grew, left home and formed families of their own. In order to stay in closer touch with each other, and for fun and games, it was decided to camp together in Neepawa’s Riverbend Park one weekend per year. Soon it was decided that this would be an annual event, with games, singing around the campfire, sharing food, and stories.
For nearly 40 years the Frank and Beatrice Szucki Family Reunion took place in Neepawa before it was moved to the home of Gilbert and Joanne Szucki in Portage la Prairie. The reunions continue although the events now take place on one day of the year!
A highlight of the reunions has been the Golf Tournament, complete with a golf trophy, which has been in use for most of the 40+ years. Also, a peanut /caramel picking contest takes place, for the younger generation, again complete with a trophy.
And so it goes on…
Background:
To understand a bit of family history, we must learn a little about where we came from. Frank’s and Beatrice’s farming ancestors immigrated to Canada from Poland in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as being amongst the first families settling in the beautiful Polonia valley district. It was then called Huns Valley. People coming from parts of Eastern Europe –such as Poland, Ukraine, Hungary-- were long ago collectively called “Huns”. The people of that area were often over-run by the Huns – as in Attila the Hun--of nearby Asia and some inter-marrying occurred. As a result, one of the facial features of Beatrice’s siblings in particular is the high cheekbones and darker shade of skin.
Poland over the centuries was invaded, plundered, occupied and divided up by Germany, Russia, and Austria. Frank’s family lived in the German occupied western area of Poland. Beatrice’s family lived in the Russian occupied area of eastern Poland. So the two families displayed some differences. Although the two families spoke Polish even though the occupying powers forbade the use of the Polish language, there were differences, for example, in facial features-Germanic or Russian – due to intermarrying over the centuries. According to Richard Kulbacki, our cousin, the ancestry of Poland includes invading Vikings, which accounts for the red hair in the family of an uncle of Beatrice and of Frank and Beatrice’s great-grandchild, Marni. It’s in the genes.
Frank’s grandparents-- Joseph Sr. and Francis Szucki--with their children, came to Canada via the Buffalo, New York route. It is believed that Beatrice’s father—Anthony Kulbacki-- came to Canada directly. The government of Canada wanted immigrants from Eastern Europe to farm on the prairies as they were hardy, hard workers, frugal farmers, resourceful, and could adapt to the hardships of breaking the land, the harsh climate and of pioneer living. The English residents of Canada did not always welcome these immigrants as they were “different”, and did not speak English.
Beatrice’s father, Anthony Kulbacki, came to Canada after his uncle and brother were established in the Polonia area. The Russian military came to the family farm in Poland and said they would be drafting Anthony into the Russian army. So Anthony’s parents borrowed money and bribed the occupying officials to provide the necessary and legal papers for him to emigrate to Canada. They never again saw their sons, Xavier (who had come to Canada earlier) and Anthony. These two sons never met two of their sisters who were born after they left the family in Poland.
Frank’s parents—Frank Szucki Sr. and Mary Nykart (Nickart) -- lived in the “Germanic influenced” western area of Polonia Valley and eventually, through frugal living, bought him a small farm to get him started. As a bachelor it was up to Frank to work hard to establish this farm and enlarge it. Beatrice’s brother, Donald Kulbacki, later stated to his son Richard, that Frank was such a hard worker that no one could keep up with him.
Beatrice’s parents – Anthony Kulbacki and Josephine Kwiatkowski--lived in the “Russian influenced” eastern area of Polonia Valley. Her father broke his leg when she was about 9 years old so she had to quit school, as the oldest child, and help her father run the house and take care of her siblings while her mother did the farming. This took a long time as they lived far from medical treatment, the bone setting did not go well and had to be redone. As a result, Beatrice had to abandon her dreams of becoming a nurse. As she grew to be a young woman, being courted by Frank factored into that decision as well.
The religious and social lives of families of Polonia settlement revolved around their Roman Catholic faith and heritage. St. Elizabeth Church and hall was the hub of Polonia residents. Beatrice’s grandparents - the John Sr. and Magdalena (Kasprick) Kwiatkowski family-- donated the land on which the church and hall are built. Frank sang in the choir and was known to have a beautiful voice according to a statement made to Bernice by a local Polonia area resident, when Frank was 92 years old.
An excerpt from a letter written on September, 7th, 1891, to the Canadian Minister of Agriculture, by the founder of Huns Valley, Count Geza Stephen de Dory, states: “About the morality of these people; they are, with two exceptions, all Roman Catholics, sober and religious in their daily life, and during the six years I had not one single court case—in fact, they do not know if a judge exists or not.” Quoted from the Polonia history book.
Frank began courting Beatrice. Beatrice related a story which points to the gentleness and dignity of the time. When Frank and Beatrice would sit on a bench in the lane leading to the Kulbacki farmyard, her father would be sure he had business to attend to which took him and his wagon, pulled by the family horses, several times down the lane, past the bench, in order to keep a watchful and protective eye on the courtship happening with Frank and Beatrice.
Frank and Beatrice were married in St. Elizabeth’s Church in Polonia on November 14th, 1932—the same church in which they were baptized. Beatrice’s uncle, John Kwiatkowski Jr., drove the bridal horse and sleigh to the church and back to the Kulbacki farm for the reception, and after the Mass, in celebration, John fired his shotgun into the air. This scared the horses which apparently did not please Frank, who loved animals. The guests were fed in the small Kulbacki log house down the road from the church. The furniture was then moved out of the house to make room for dancing, with music being supplied by a local orchestra.
As time went on, in order to make the spelling easier for the English, the “Suski” spelling became common among the descendants of the original Joseph Szucki Sr. family (one of the very early settlers of Huns Valley) – the grandfather of Frank . Frank and Beatrice did not legally change their name spelling. After retirement Frank went back to using the original and legal “Szucki” spelling, as did Bernice and Gilbert.
Frank and Beatrice farmed in Elk Ranch and Riding Mountain before moving to Neepawa in 1956, where Frank worked at the Salt Plant, while renting out their Riding Mountain land. Eventually they did sell the farm. Their seven kids grew, left home and formed families of their own. In order to stay in closer touch with each other, and for fun and games, it was decided to camp together in Neepawa’s Riverbend Park one weekend per year. Soon it was decided that this would be an annual event, with games, singing around the campfire, sharing food, and stories.
For nearly 40 years the Frank and Beatrice Szucki Family Reunion took place in Neepawa before it was moved to the home of Gilbert and Joanne Szucki in Portage la Prairie. The reunions continue although the events now take place on one day of the year!
A highlight of the reunions has been the Golf Tournament, complete with a golf trophy, which has been in use for most of the 40+ years. Also, a peanut /caramel picking contest takes place, for the younger generation, again complete with a trophy.
And so it goes on…