Page 3
A ‘grand’ marshal
Zywcki family has deep roots in Sumpter Township
The Grand Marshal of the Sumpter
Fest this year has deep roots in the
community.
From the time John and Helen
Zywicki bought their 52-acre farm on
Willow Road in Sumpter Township in
1944, their family has been a growing
part of the community.
The couple moved to Sumpter in
1944 froma farm in Romulus and grew
vegetables to sell at Western Market in
Detroit and at some local farm veg-
etable stands during their first years on
their rambling land.
In the late 40s, Zywicki built the first
greenhouse on his land, a 20-foot by 40-
foot structure heated from the coal fur-
nace in the farmhouse. The couple
grew seedling vegetable plants for
their fields in the greenhouse to get a
start on the growing season and their
success prompted other area farmers
to ask if the Zywickis could grow
starter plants for them. During these
years, John Zywicki was working in the
shipyards in Detroit during the winter
months and his wife helped her sister
and brother-in-law, Irene and Joe
Pinter, with their greenhousework.
The greenhouse business began to
showreal growth and in addition to the
starter plants for neighboring farmers,
the couple began to grow some flowers
which they took, along with vegetable
plants, to the Western and Eastern
markets in Detroit on Saturdays. All
this as the couple raised their five sons,
John, Raymond, Charles, Gerald and
Donald, all of whom helped on the
farmand in the greenhouse business.
In the 60s, a severe hailstorm dam-
aged the field crops and the couple
opted to stop using the land for crops,
but did opt to purchase 20 more acres
of land fromtheir neighbors.
See
Marshal,
page 4
The couple moved
to Sumpter
in 1944
from a farm
in Romulus...
”
