What is known about Josephine Tokarz

Born Josepham Tokarz on February 28, 1915, Josephine was the fifth child of Frank and Sophia and the first girl.

Josephine recalled that she and all her sibilings attended Catholic school for elementary education and then moved on to the Public school for the remainder of their education.

She enjoyed taking the bus to Lake Michigan where she would walk around, sit in the sand, and run the sand through her hands and feet. She told me a story about doing this one day and getting lost in a upscale neighborhood. She gawked at a nursemaid strolling a baby and thought about what it would be like to be rich. Her favorite childhood games included tag and blind mans bluff.

Her oldest brother, Frank, was her idol. She loved and admired him. He protected her from her other rough siblings, but wasn't above teasing her either.

As a young adult, Josephine decided to get on a plane and fly to Spokane to see her big brother and his family. Everyone thought she was crazy, as passenger planes were not commonly flown on yet. She was scared, but was incredibly proud of herself for doing it. She remembers getting off the plane and seeing who she thought might be Frank (it had been many years since they'd seen each other). She recalls walking up to him and saying " Would you by chance be my big brother?". In response, he said "Honey, I am your big brother!".

In talking with her about her siblings she recalled that she always felt that her younger sister Mary had a beautiful complexion and she was always jealous. She described John as being tall, dark, and handsome. Her brother Joe she described as being a big teaser with a sarcastic sense of humor and very smart. She described Mike as a tender hearted man who struggled with learning.

Josephine spoke with tenderness and fondness about her mother. She said her mother liked to sing to her in polish, tell stories of Poland, and also protected her from her rough brothers. She recalls her mother has dark complected, beautiful, and a great cook.

Josephine recalled her father as being a man good with home repairs and helping with work around the house. He took her to school and picked her up. She said that he made the best Polish sausage. He would start a fire in the coal stove and smoke the sausage. He also made his own saurkraut. He would use whole heads of cabbage, vinegar, and soak it in a large barrel.
She recalled him as being tall and handsome.

Josephine worked as a dressmaker for a time, as well as for Armors Company in the stockyards.
While a young girl, her father brought TB home. The TB damaged her lungs and took several years to recover.

Josephine married John F Grady on October 13, 1951 at St John of God in Chicago. John was in the military and eventually Joesephine and John ended up in Massechusettes. Together they had one son, David.

Josephine died Nov 15, 2004 in Chicopee, MA.