That’s All!

William Piotrowski

October  2022

I was born in Cleveland Ohio on March 5^th 1949. I do not have any brothers or sisters.  My mom was from Ireland and my father was born in Youngstown, Ohio. My father knew hard work and worked in the steel mills until the day he died.  I was only 14 years old at the time of his death and didn’t realize what a profound impact his passing would have on my future existence.  My Mom was one tough lady and not prone to sitting around she took steps to move us forward. We moved to the other side of town, changed schools and started anew. My Mom and I got to know each other all over again.  I was confident she always had my back.

I graduated from Griswold Institute, a private high school located in downtown Cleveland, and then went on to Dyke Spencerian College majoring in accounting.  I soon realized that I was not ready for college and decided to enter the work force. Well, that was disappointing since it was the late sixties and the Vietnam war was dominating the news on a daily basis. The draft was in place and I was classified 1-A.  Being classified eligible for the draft meant that employers had no incentive to hire someone who could be called to serve at any moment.  Moving forward as my mother taught me, I decided to join the Army. I had hopes of learning a trade but soon found out the army needs come first and I received orders:  Next Stop Vietnam.  I shipped over to Vietnam in 1968.  It just happened to be the first day of the “TET” offensive in which the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army decided they were going to move from the north to South Vietnam. Their goal was to regain control over the entire country. At this point, I questioned my decision to join but I was raised to believe that America was the greatest country on earth.

I remained in Vietnam for the next three years working with the Army Corp of Engineers. Our mission was to build things while we were surrounded by people who wanted to blow them up. The closest I came to death is when I had to tell my Mom I was going back after one year. However, as always, she had my back.

After returning home to Cleveland, I found myself having difficulty fitting in.  I decided after about eight months to leave Cleveland and go to Alaska. I had no plan.  No job.  No place to live.  There again my greatest challenge was confronting my mom with the news. Surprisingly, she understood my decision. I moved to Anchorage Alaska and stayed there for 15 years.  I got married, had four children and started my own business.

Unfortunately, my wife at the time got sick and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although Alaska was beautiful and checked all the boxes it did not have the facilities that my wife required for treatment.  We were desperate to find a place to get help.  It turns out there were only two places that could offer any hope The Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. We ended up in Cleveland.

In the interim my mom had moved to Alaska where she enjoyed her grandchildren but passed away from medical complications.

We moved to Cleveland and my wife fought a good fight but passed away after a five-year struggle. I now had four children and a business that I ran from my home.  When I met Nancy, she shared her vision which went way beyond mine at the time.  I knew my mom would just love her. We got married and have been together ever since.

So, this story is one of struggle but I feel blessed every day.