Joseph Grubka

Joseph Grubka, or "Joe" as he was better known, will be remembered as a quiet and friendly man, with an optimistic, positive outlook on life. He will be remembered as generous, a man who would do anything for a friend. And he loved his family above all else.

Joe's parents, Joseph and Julia, came to America from Poland in 1908 after being recruited by the Lee Paper Company in Vicksburg. They lived in a company house, where Joe was born, on March 19, 1915, the third of seven children. By the time he finished kindergarten, the family moved to a 60 acre farm in Mendon, near Portage Lake. His father rode a bicycle the six miles to work at the paper company every day. Joe said they could "hear the mill whistle clear out to the farm." Joe and his brothers and sisters attended Dinger school, and attended St. Edwards Catholic Church. At that time, there weren't many Polish families in the area, so the Grubka children were not taught to speak the Polish language. Joe always said that the only time his mother ever spoke to them in Polish was when "she got mad. We didn't know the words, but we knew what she meant!"

Growing up on a farm meant that Joe learned to plow and plant the fields, harvest crops, tend the animals, along with all the other chores associated with farm life. While plowing behind a team of horses one day as a teenager, a horse stepped on his foot, and he lost the end of his fourth toe! His love of the outdoors was born on that farm, and remained a constant throughout his life.

Joe started working at the Lee Paper Company, later called Simpson Lee, in 1934 at the age of 19, as a machine "back-tender," then later as a machine tender on Machine #5, the oldest in the mill. After working on that same machine for so many years, he felt he "knew every bolt of it." For all his working years, Joe worked "round the clock," as he put it, which didn't mean working 24 hours, but working days one week, swing shift the next, and nights after that, then back around again. He was never late and never called in sick all those years. The only time he was ever off work was once for a work-related back injury.

Joe met Betty Erwine, daughter of a Vicksburg dairy family while in school, and they married on March 8, 1941. In the early months of their marriage, they lived in a tiny cabin in the woods on Portage Lake. Later, they bought their first home on Michigan Avenue in Vicksburg. Their only child, Jim, was born in 1950. They purchased land and built a house on Kimble Lake, doing much of the work themselves. They moved into the Kimble Lake house in 1961. One of the loveliest features were the stone and mortar retaining walls flanking the front of the house, as well as wrapping around part of the yard. Joe and Jim built the walls themselves, in the short span of six weeks one summer. The walls were 2 to 8 feet high and a total of 200 feet long!

After nearly 45 years at the paper company, Joe retired in 1979. Besides having more time for gardening and more of his favorite outdoor pursuits, he enjoyed watching game shows, particularly The Price is Right. Retirement suited him, and he managed to keep busy at home. He and Betty enjoyed having time to spend with their two granddaughters, Lisa and Laura. As soon as they were old enough to hold a fishing pole, he would take them to his trout-stocked pond, or watch them splash in the "swimming hole" in the creek next to the house.

After retirement, Joe and Betty did something most people would never dream of doing! They bought twin 350 Honda motorcycles, and for several summers, rode them locally and on short trips. That was definitely a role-reversal for their son, who worried about their safety during that time!

In 1990, Joe and Betty made the difficult decision to sell their beloved house and property, which was becoming increasingly challenging to maintain, and moved to the retirement community at Kline's Resort on Portage Lake, coming full circle from their marital beginning. There, they had a large garden, planted trees and shrubs. In that way, Joe was able to continue spending time outdoors, but in a much more manageable yard.

"No problem," was an expression heard by many in Joe's later years, as his hearing deteriorated, though he never admitted to it. "No problem" became a standard answer when he didn't hear something that was said to him!

As the years passed, life became a little more difficult, as aches and pains, and health problems cropped up, eyesight and hearing became a little less sharp. In 2002, after Betty was rushed to the hospital for symptoms of congestive heart failure, Joe fell while using his walker, and from that time on, was confined to a wheelchair. Another difficult decision was made. Living independently was no longer an option, and the two of them moved to Wyndham West, an assisted living facility in Kalamazoo. Joes' love of the outdoors was narrowed then to watching the birds at a bird feeder outside their window, and will forever be remembered sitting in his wheelchair, facing the window, watching those birds.

Joseph "Joe" Grubka passed away on April 16, 2007 at Bronson Methodist Hospital. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Alex Grubka, and sister, Stella Makowsky. In addition to his wife Betty, he is survived by his son, James and his wife Linda Grubka of Battle Creek, brothers Harry of Mendon, John of Kalamazoo, Howard of Mendon, a sister, Mary Makowski of Vicksburg, and granddaughters, Lisa Grubka of New York, NY and Laura Grubka of Alpharetta, GA. Learn more about Joe, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends Friday from 5-8 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, RDMG ,Portage, 5975 Lovers Lane. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the same location. Please visit Joe's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can read his life story, archive a favorite memory or photo, order flowers or make a memorial donation to Memorials may be sent to the Heritage Community of Kalamazoo Foundation or the Heritage Staff Recognition Fund

Joe's family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Wyndham West for their patience, humor, and genuine caring. We are comforted to know that Betty is in good hands there.