The Life of Steve & Emily Godek
Steve & Emily Godek Time Line

Tommy - Early Years 1966 - 1995

Lillian M Fournier, Emily Godek, Stephen Godek, Tommy Fournier - Summer 1966
Lillian Fournier, Emily Godek, Stephen Godek, & Tommy Fournier - June 1966

Emily Godek with Tommy Fournier
Emily Godek & Tommy
Stephen Godek with Tommy Fournier - 1967
Stephen Godek & Tommy

In June of 1966 Stephen & Emily became grandparents with my arrival.

By 1971 both Emily and Steve retired. The 1970s were a happy and relaxed time for both of them. They enjoyed being grandparents and spent a great deal of time taking care of me.

Because both of my parents worked full time Stephen & Emily were there each day to care for me. Without fail they were there when I returned home from school. Seeing their 1969 Gold Plymouth Satellite parked out front of the house was always a comfort. Through their example they taught me to work hard, keep things clean, and be diligent. I also have many fond memories of going to "Woolworths", “Two-Guys” or “Zayres” with them to get a toy for me.

Emily also regularly helped care for her mothers aging sisters, especially aunt Josie (the one who took her in after her mother died). Emily spent her leisure time reading, doing crafts, researching new recipes, and taking courses at Holyoke Community College.

Stephen & Emily loved to go dancing and socialize with their group of friends. With the freedom of retirement they were able to do this often. They also had time for vacations, most notably a memorable trip to Hawaii in 1977.

Stephen loved to be active and his daily walk was an important part of his routine. Each day he would walk to get the newspaper at Hastings stationary store on Exchange Street. During retirement Stephen also regularly worked at his brother Stanley's store the "Chicopee Sport Center" at 48 Cabot Street. The store sold a variety of athletic equipment, rifles, pistols, ammo, as well as fishing and hunting necessities. Retirement also gave Stephen more time to sing in the St. Stanislaus Choir and enjoy the many friends he made in this group.

My grandfather cherished his brothers and their families. Gatherings with them were always happy occasions he looked forward to. Among these were: picnics in South Hadley at Eddie & Philomene's, visits to Joe & Yvonne in Wales, MA, dinners at Joe & Millies, and Christmas Eve at Stanley & Ann's.

In 1983 my parents divorced. After this event my grandparents faithfulness and love of our family became even more important and appreciated by me.

In early August of 1993 at the age of 78 Emily had a major stroke. This event resulted in major changes to their lives. From that point on my grandfather devoted all of his time to her care as she required constant supervision. {more photos}