Shrewsbury – Our beloved Charles J. Michalak, born January 4, 1943, aged 76, passed away suddenly on October 21, 2019. A long-time resident of Shrewsbury, MA and more recently of Worcester, he was the son of Jenny Michalak, who preceded him in death.
He is survived by his only son Mark Michalak and his wife Sarah, and their four children, Griffin, Avery, Fenton and Bryn Michalak.
Charlie grew up in Shrewsbury, MA and was an only child, much loved by his mother Jenny, his grandparents Jerry and Helen (Kasprzak) Michalak, his loving aunts and uncles Chet and Martha (Michalak) Niedzwiecki, John and Francis (Michalak) Chicoine, Stanley “Tish” and Theda (Michalak) Misiewicz, Walter and Statia Michalak, Timmy Michalak and cousins Annie, Paul, Barbara, Tom, Claudia, Judy, Bobby, Vicki and Gerry.
Charlie had a very supportive family and they lived in the big house on North Quinsigamond Ave. I used to get lost in that huge house and would wander into my dad’s old room and look through his old kidney desk at his slide ruler and compass collection. Many of the family lived close to each other and the old house. I very fondly remember as a young boy walking up the hill and down the path from Aunt Jenny’s to visit Aunt Martha and Uncle Chet for fresh tomatoes before heading over to see Aunt Theda and Uncle Tish, who was a WWII Navy vet, would tell me to have something to eat, that Aunt Theda made, would put hair on my chest. Him and my dad would have a good laugh over that, and I can’t remember why, but it makes me smile to think about them then.
My dad attended Shrewsbury High School where he was an excellent athlete and liked playing football where the team called him “Moose”. But what he really loved, was crew. He would tell me stories of rowing on Quinsigamond Lake and how good that felt in the early morning or after school to be on the water. When he was in his 50’s he bought a kayak to once again enjoy being on the lake which he lived near on Lear St for many years before going to live at St. Francis after having his first major stroke in 2011. I also remember that him telling me that he and his family and friends would head down to White City Amusement Park on weekends to ride the trollies and the roller coaster.
He graduated from high school in 1961 and then quickly decided to join the US Marine Corps in 1962 during the Vietnam War. He was in Vietnam for two tours of duty, a period of his life which he didn’t particularly like talking about. One thing he would tell me was that it was the most beautiful place he had ever been to and talked often about wishing he could go visit one day. After Vietnam he was stationed in Okinawa Japan which he speaks very highly of. I still have two amazing glazed lamps he purchased there and shipped back home. After Okinawa he was stationed in California until he was honorably discharged into the USMC reserve. During a training drill there he and his good friend Dick Jolivet encountered a very angry rattlesnake that my dad killed with his entrenching tool and cut off the rattle. I still have both the shovel and the rattle and tell my kids this story about their Jaja.
After leaving the Marines he moved back to Massachusetts and continued his friendship with Dick Jolivet. Charlie met Dick’s cousin Anita Maurier and they started dating and eventually got married in a double wedding with Antia’s sister Terry. They had their only son in 1974 while they lived in Worcester off Plantation St. When I was about two, they bought the house in Sutton, MA adjacent to Pleasant Valley golf course where my parents would take me sledding in the winter. One summer day, two of my dad’s friends came over after golfing for the day and climbed in my little kid’s pool practically breaking it. Everyone was laughing and having good times. When I think back on that I still laugh. One year I “helped” him build a very large woodshed on the back yard that still stands today. I remember us having a great time building it together.
We spent a lot of time with family when I was younger. Visiting with my aunts and uncles in Shrewsbury. My dad, Aunt Jenny and I would sometimes treat ourselves to Thanksgiving out at a restaurant or go to Paul and Barbara’s to see my cousins John, Marcy and Lauren. I remember going to Timmy’s cottages near Thumpertown Beach on the Cape with him and seeing the old target ship out in the bay and eating lobster. We loved going up to Ed’s camp with Dick, Francine and Angela to fish and hunt and hang out with cousins Lee, Barbara and Tina. After Charlie and Anita divorced in 1983, he bought triple mast sailboat that he would sail to Bermuda. I remember sleeping on the boat and wishing I could sail there with him. For a while he lived with Dick and Francine while he was getting back on his feet and I spent many weekends there enjoying our time together.
In the late 80’s he started living on Lear St in Shrewsbury with his mother, across the street from his best friend Phil Posson and his wife Charlene. He was a close family friend and a good neighbor to them and their children Chardell, Lauren and Traci.
My dad was always a great mechanic. He started with aircraft engineering in the Marines and continued to learn about all types of engines. He used to bring home tractor trailers to work on them and I would help him learning so much about engines. When I was in high school, I helped him put a whole new engine into my Dodge Charger and I’ll never forget that experience with him. He worked for 20 years at Ridgewood Power in RI as an engineer maintaining the natural gas-powered turbines there.
We always enjoyed being outdoors together. Whether it was fishing on lakes nearby, deep sea fishing out of Gloucester, shooting skeet in the summer or skiing in the winter. We also enjoyed going to the movies together. Although I don’t really remember it, he says that he took me to the first Star Wars movie in 1978, I would have been four years old. I do remember seeing all the remaining movies with him including the most recent two. The boys and I would pick him up from St. Francis and wheel him into the theater. He just enjoyed watching a movie with us and eating popcorn with a root beer. He loved to read especially about the military and government conspiracies, he was an excellent drawer and always listened to A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. Growing up My dad and I would watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild, wild World of Animals, followed by our favorite Dr. Who. He loved Sci-fi movies and him and I would find time to go see those in the theaters. He was a man who marched to the beat of his own drum, always finding his own way to do things, sometimes a little wild, but always with his heart in the right place.
He was a very loving grandfather and had a great sense of humor. As is the tradition in the Michalak family, he was Jaja to our children. He came to many birthdays, holidays and any old regular days that he could. Enjoying spending time here with us. He loved my wife Sarah like she was his own daughter and was good friends with Sarah’s mother Debbie. Unfortunately, his health prevented him from doing many things he would have liked to have done with the kids and us.
After he had his stroke in 2011 he stayed at St. Francis Nursing Home on Plantation St in Worcester. They provided him the healthcare support he needed and our family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Charlie’s caregivers who are too numerous to mention, but would like to give extra thanks to Tom and the amazing staff of healthcare professionals there. We are most grateful for the love and support of his dear friends whom he considered family, as well as members of his church family St. Francis.
The family can’t begin to express how much we will miss Charlie. But we also know he lived the best he could, and we celebrate his life and will continue his legacy in all that we do.
Funeral services and burial for Mr. Michalak will be held privately.
