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Honored citizen
Sumpter Fest chooses 100-year-old Walter Krakowiak for festival tribute
WhenWalter Krakowiak celebrated his 100th birthday in
January, he was surprised by a party at the Sumpter Senior
Center hostedby his fellowseniormembers.
He had no idea that was just the beginning of the celebra-
tions of his longevity.
This year, the Sumpter Country Fest Committee and the
Parks and Recreation Commission also selected Krakowiak
as the Honored Citizen for 2016. Each year, the committee
members attempt to find the oldest member of the commu-
nity tohonor during the event andparade.
Krakowiak has lived in Sumpter Township for 95 of his
100 years, he and his family said in a prepared statement,
andhe is proud of his community heritage.
His parents purchased a farmon SherwoodRoad in 1918
where his family, including his two sisters and three broth-
ers, all lived.
He only moved from the family farm when he married
his wife, Florence Soja, in 1940. The newlyweds purchased
a home in Dearborn, but in 1942, he was drafted into the
U.S. Army and served for 32 months in the Pacific Islands.
When he returned fromhis military service, he and his wife
and their two daughters returned to Sumpter and lived in a
home onRawsonvilleRoad.
He began building his present home on Willis Road in
1955 and has lived there to this day. His family now includes
eight grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and three
great-great-grandchildren.
Krakowiak, a member of the PLAV and VFW, enjoys gar-
dening and sharing the produce and flowers he raises with
friends, neighbors and family members. He and his wife
began a bed of gladiolus while they lived on Rawsonville
Road and often went to Eastern Market in Detroit to sell
their flowers.
To this day, he said, he plants a few bulbs for cutting of
the tall, regal stalks of gladiolus blooms. He has also had
many vegetable gardens at his Willis Road home where,
since his retirement from Ford Motor Co. in 1977 after 30
years of employment, he also enjoys hobbies like fishing,
coin collecting and woodworking. He especially enjoyed
cypress clockmaking and cabinetry, he said.
He and his wife also traveled extensively after his retire-
ment includingwinters inFlorida in theirmotor home.
Krakowiak has been a member of the Sumpter Senior
Center for many years and said he enjoys riding the bus and
having lunch with the other members. He said he was sur-
prised and grateful for the party the seniors group hosted
for himthis year.
“The girls worked very hard planning the party and did a
wonderful job forme,” he said.
“I wish to thank the Sumpter Township Parks and
Recreation Commission for selecting me as the Honored
Citizen of the 2016 Sumpter Country Fest Parade this year,”
he concluded.
Walter Krakowiak
