Daniel WANTUCH

1935 - 10 NOV 1964

• BIRTH: 1935, South Bend, IN
• BURIAL: St Joseph Cemetery
• DEATH: 10 NOV 1964, South Bend, IN

• MARRIAGE: ABT 1 DEC 1956, St Joseph County, IN

1.  Tony WANTUCH

INDEX

[N2394] Many dads made a loss easier
By Tony Wantuch ... June 13, 2013
Elkhart Truth

Posted on June 13, 2013

Daniel Wantuch - Born 1935 - Died November 10, 1964
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I don't remember much about losing my father, Daniel, in a private airplane accident in 1964. At the time, when I was 6 years old, the implications were too much for me to grasp or, mercifully, were hidden from me. Only later, when I became a father, did I understand how the loss was eased.
While I was without a father, many good men were part of my life. By watching and following, I was able to see the best - and sometimes the not-so-good - of them and make my own way as a father. It's been a continual learning process and I continue my education to this day.

Julius Cako Å’ Born 1895 - Died 1976
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Grandpa Julius Cako, my mom's dad, was thrust into an impossible situation when we moved back to South Bend from Florida. He was 68 years old and had two kids, 7 and (my brother, Brian) 5, suddenly enter his life, which should have been a lot quieter after his retirement from Studebaker. Dziadzia (Polish grandfather) Frank Wantuch Sr. not only had to deal with the grief of losing his son, but seeing reminders of him every time we were with him. .

Frank Wantuch Sr. ... Born 1904 - 1969
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Uncles Don Findley and Frank Wantuch Jr. stepped in. Frank, a well-known polka musician in Northern Indiana, passed in 2002 but Don still serves as a physical example of how my own dad might have been at this stage of his life. They and my aunts had 15 kids between them and two nephews were willingly accepted. Jack Maffitt and Ernie Butts, who married cousins of mom's, were calming influences. Jack is a retired mailman who, in his 70s, could outwalk me and Brian on our tours of the Notre Dame campus before football games.
Ervin Kuspa was my scoutmaster. He took us camping at Camp Kiwi, a clearing in some woods on the far west side of St. Joseph County. Only a few years ago did I learn that he was a veteran of the Korean War. My father-in-law, Red Seitzinger, built his own house and worked for 40 years at U.S. Steel in Gary. I knew Red for 25 years and still miss him. He passed in 2003. My brothers-in-law - Bill, Les and Paul Seitzinger and Brian Rendina - all fine fathers themselves; my brother from another mother, Doug Mueller (who's been outnumbered by females all his life - two sisters and two daughters - and lived to tell the tale); Phil Rendina; Darrelll Peetz; Blackie Motts; Marty Mueller and Bud McClure have all given me insight into fathering. And there are parts of my dad that I don't even know I have. I didn't get his curly black hair but I've been told I have his laugh, especially after I've had a few beers. So these are my dads, with their good, bad and everything else all rolled into me. I wish them all a happy Father's Day.