My father was born on 27 April, 1921 in Kingwood, Preston County, West Virginia. He was the 9th child born to Julius & Lucy (Richards) Greaser. Just like all twelve of his siblings, he was born at home, in the house his father Julius built on land given to him by his parents, William & Mary (Borgman) Greaser. Their home was built across from the "Old Homestead" which was a log cabin according to my Dad. After the invention and popularity of cars, Star Route 4 was built, the only problem was that it ran behind Julius’s house. I often wondered when I grew up why there were about four stone steps that led down into a grassy field. Little did I know at that time that it was the original dirt road that separated their home from my father’s grandparents.

My father attended a two room schoolhouse at St. Joseph’s in Howesville. I of course grew up hearing stories that always seemed to come out at the dinner table when you turned your nose up at something you didn’t want to eat, about how he had to walk two miles to school, and had his shoes tied over his shoulders so he wouldn’t wear them out to fast <grin>. I am sure many of us have heard the same story, I often thought it was straight from a book they gave all parents to make their children feel guilty at opportune times. I didn’t know then just how true those stories were!

As with most families back then, he had three siblings that died at early ages from childhood diseases, ones that we all get inoculated against now. His second oldest brother, Willy, died at the age of 18 in an auto accident. I know, I know, even I wondered how they could afford a car way back then. After all, we are talking 1923, and I thought the first ones were not even around until 1910. But, unlike the cars of today, the wheel rims were wooden and when Willy went over the railroad tracks on his way to the movies (yes, they had those then too, silent ones I suspect, grin) the wooden spokes in the wheel broke which sent the car careening over an embankment. Unfortunately Willy didn’t survive the accident, but others in the car (i.e. Frank Stonik) did live. Despite the fact that my father was only two years old at the time, he still remembers old John Greaser who came by to tell Julius about the horrible incident. My Dad also remembers the casket didn’t fit through the door due to the old oak staircase just in front of the door, so they had to bring it through the window. Like all the other Greaser’s, Borgman’s & Richard’s Willy is buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Howesville, WV.

My father graduated from Kingwood High School in 1941, the first of their 13 children to accomplish that feat! I remember how my Dad said he sent money home from his pay (while he was in the Navy during WW2) so his younger siblings could finish school. My father might not have had the best of educations, but I don’t think I have ever met anyone with more common sense then my Dad! There wasn’t anything he couldn’t figure out or calculate, and just like his father and grandfather before him, he built (with the help of his brothers) the house where I grew up in Niagara Falls, New York.

After High School he worked at Borgman Coal Mine. But, he wasn’t actually down in the mines, he worked in the yard (if my memory serves me right, chuckle). From there he enlisted in the Navy in December 1943 and went off to war. He was assigned to the USS LST 996 and worked in the auxiliary engine room. It was during this time, while he was awaiting his ship to be ready that he met my mother. I had often wondered how a guy from the hills of WV met and married a woman from such a bustling city...well, now you all know! According to my mother, Catherine Isabelle Dineen, my father and a buddy asked someone where they might be able to go to do some square dancing, and they ended up at the same dance hall (Rosecroix) where my mother and her friends were. But, his stay there was a short one (about a month) and then his amphibious ship left for Okinawau, Sai Pan, Hawaii and other places. His LST was the third one to hit the beach in the South of France on D-Day. Growing up my father never really spoke about the war, I knew he was in the Navy, and I thought he was on some huge ship. For those that don’t know, the LST (Landing Ship Tank) was sometimes referred to as a Large Slow Target...it traveled at only 11 knots. What I have discovered is that the LSTs are probably one of the main reasons for winning the war....they carried tanks, trucks, supplies, medical teams and all sorts of things to the front lines. So, I’m very proud of my Dad, and the ship that got him safely back to the States. Of course during this time he was corresponding with that cute gal he met in Boston and he even sent her a grass skirt and colorful bikini type top when his ship was in Hawaii.

After the war he worked the toll booth in Niagara Falls, then after saving some money he convinced my mother to marry him and live in Niagara Falls, NY. They tied the knot on 29 May 1948, and they celebrate their Golden Anniversary this year.

My father then worked at some chemical plants, but was eventually hired and stayed at Hooker Chemical Corporation (now a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum), for nearly 35 years until he retired. At first he worked in the Caustic Department, but after 11 years of that he transferred to the Boiler House and became a Stationery Engineer. Now come the stories about how Engineers don’t know their --- from a hole in the wall, hahaa. I remember them calling my Dad at home sometimes when things went wrong because they knew that "Marty" would know how to solve the problem....and he did! He even knew about all the things not on the blueprints, or were wrong on the blueprints. I remember him telling me how he crawled through/along piping, etc...and made his own little sketches. So, that is the secret of why he "always knew" and they sometimes didn’t. Now, that’s dedication and loyalty for you!!

In addition to his full-time shift work at Hooker, he built our house on Lockport Road, and fathered three children by this point. In 1953 they moved into the new "Homestead" where six more of us were born, and my Dad started his own garden. He had a  HUGE garden out behind our house and my Mom learned to "can" all the vegetables grown. He’d get someone to come plow up his garden in the Spring and he’d buy just the amount of seeds/plants he needed. After planting it, he’d go off and get manure in the homemade trailer he built. If you don’t believe me when I say his garden was huge, just ask any of my siblings that also had to get up early every weekend just so we could weed the garden before it got to hot outside. The weeds never ended!  He grew corn, tomatoes, green beans, yellow beans, swisschard, onions, potatoes, peas, peppers, watermelon, butternut squash, zucchini squash and even popcorn kernels one year! It was pretty tasty too, not as big or fluffy as Orville’s, but tastier I think.

My Dad could cook too. He was famous for his morning oatmeal for us before school (ick!) and for making many concoctions in the kitchen from time to time. His best I think is his bread pudding. It is so thick and creamy it is like eating gelled pudding...it is terrific! I remember him making some and sending it in a box to me along with my Mom’s great brownies when I was in college. Everyone loved being there when I opened a box from home near Christmas time. I think you could smell my Mom’s brownies while they were still boxed and in the mail room. Some of the things my Dad made were: fried green tomatoes (yes, I think he should get a percentage from the movie too!), zucchini pancakes, 3 bean salad, fudge and even some cheesecake type pudding with little chocolate bits in it. That one he told me he got from the TV. And, his oatmeal, let’s not forget his oatmeal!! We had oatmeal coming out our ears in the mornings. I ate so much oatmeal over the years growing up that I didn’t touch it after I left home, I had already hit my earthly limit! Hahaaa

I remember one year when I was in College I told him how windy it was out there all the time. Well, in the mail sometime later was a round tube from my Dad. Inside was a kite, along with a stick he made that had a little cross-handle at the top. I wondered what this stick was for...then I read written along the side in large lettering...To Lean On When Flying Kites. I think that was one of the best gifts I ever received!

Oh, I nearly forgot, he also loves Country Music...Ick! We had to watch Hee Haw growing up complete with Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and all the rest. Thank goodness for my Mom’s taste in music, at least it was more enjoyable. When transistors radios came out (remember those?) my Dad used to get so mad because my older siblings would play theirs and it was NOT on County Music either. I often remember him yelling at them to turn that stuff off or he was going to break those ---- radios. I guess he just didn’t like the Beatles, smile.

On Sundays we'd go for family car rides together to see the locks, the country or other places. We’d watch Disney, Lawrence Welk and Ed Sullivan. Those weren’t so bad, Lawrence Welk had great dancers and bubbles! 

When it came to my Dad there was one thing I was really thankful for when I was growing up, and that was that I wasn't born a boy.  The reason is quite simple...my Dad went to barber school after the war and he had a barber's chair up at my aunt Aggie's house a few doors up the road.  He would cut all the relatives hair.  Every summer though, he'd take my brothers up there and practically shave them bald... oops, I mean give them a brushcut (as he called it, grin).  So, for that reason I am glad I wasn't a boy!!

In his spare time, which wasn't much, he'd go fishing and hunting.  He went out with his brother Leo since Uncle Leo owned a nice boat and was retired at the time.  His good friend John Olscamp would sometimes go along as well. As for hunting, he brought home some of everything for us to eat. Sometimes it was squirrel, pheasants, rabbits, etc.  Of course the big goal was bagging that huge buck in November during gun season.  My Dad was persistent, but the deer always seemed to somehow elude him.   My brothers were good about getting two or three each some seasons.  My Dad's joke about their technique was that they would fall asleep out there in the woods and wait till the deer walked right up to them, then they'd shoot them! Hahaa  I remember one year that my brother Bill (I think it was him) fell out of his tree stand that he bought to rest in while waiting for all the deer to walk up to him.  We're happy he wasn't hurt!

My Dad always did the shopping too, it seemed he lived for it.  Off he would go with his handful of coupons and grocery list made up by my Mom.  Shopping was an all day affair for my Dad. Sometimes he would stop at six different stores because each of them had something great on sale. He bought so much stuff in bulk I think that's where Sam's Club, BJ's and the Price Club all got the idea to sell things in bulk!   I'm the opposite, I was born without the shopping gene (like my Mom) and if there is a convenience store on my way home they get my business <grin>.

Nowadays my Dad can still be found tending to a huge garden and watching the Buffalo Sabres (hockey).  He still listens to County music, is pampering his grandbabies that live nearby and still fixing most anything that seems to need fixing. But most of all, he's still the most fabulous father....of course we had to train him that way! <chuckle>

I love you Daddy....