Window on the West
by Mary Rupert
I was saddened last Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the news that my uncle, Bob Winsky Sr., had died. He was 93. Services were last weekend.
He was the oldest of three siblings who were born in Kansas City, Kan., to parents who were from Croatia, and he was the longest lived of the three. Survivors included his wife, Betty, and his son, Robert Winsky Jr.
Truly a member of the Greatest Generation, Uncle Bob served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II in the Philippines.
Growing up in a family where Croatian, the language of the old country, was often spoken at home, Uncle Bob graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1939.
After the war, he started his own trucking company. He was able to attend college on the G.I. Bill, and he studied business at Rockhurst College, where he graduated in 1953. He was one of the hardest workers I have ever met.
He raised his family in a couple of different cities in the metropolitan area. He could be an authoritarian, and also the life of the party. He had an infectious laugh and loved to tell jokes, while being very serious at other times.
He was uniquely able to help send relief items to Croatia during a time of desperate need. He provided for the shipping, in the United States segment of the trip, of clothing and other items that had been donated by a company for an orphanage in Croatia. He was very generous in many other ways, as well. He will be missed.
To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].