Francis Joseph Kaminski

My dad, Francis or Frank Kaminski as he was called, was born February 4, 1932 in St. Johns, Michigan. His parents, Joseph and Helen Kaminski.  Joseph Kaminski, when a teenager, came over from Poland during WWI as a stowaway on a ship to escape the German oppression.  He worked in the coalmines until joining the Army to help in the war against Germany.  He served for 20 years.  He met his wife, Helen Juras with her 5 children:  Clemens, Anne, Christine, Genevieve and Emily after losing her husband.  Joseph and Helen met in Hamtramck, Michigan at a Catholic Church social.  Helen owned a grocery store in Hamtramck but because of the Depression had to sell and move to St Johns, Michigan.  There, they married, purchased an 80 acre farm and added to their family Terry, my dad Frank and Rita. They had very humble beginnings especially when the oldest boy Clem went off to fight in WWII leaving just the girls and only one young boy, my dad, to tend to the Farming.  Hard work and rough times; yet a family joined to make it work. Terry is the only surviving sibling at 95.

Upon graduating from St. Johns High School, dad joined the Army during the Korean conflict. He became a drill sergeant and met my Mom Shirley Bosserdett. My brother Wayne was born while dad finished his time in the Army at Fort Benning. Thirteen months later along came Greg. We too had humble beginnings. Dad was hired as a janitor at General Motors in Flint, Michigan. He was then promoted to Foreman working in material controls. Later he advanced to help run GM’s Pilot programs in material controls for the new cars that would be produced the following years. This led our young family to various summer outings in the Detroit area. Many fond memories of those summers, going fishing and water skiing with dad will always be cherished.

Many times I've thanked the Lord for a hard working father who taught our family work ethics and how to keep going even when life got tough. Dad worked hard on the farm and at his job at General Motors. He was highly respected at GM which lead to him being promoted to General Foreman. This took us from the farm country of Owosso to the Detroit area. It was a great move but tough as Wayne and I had to leave our friends from school; a different life for sure. We had no idea how different it would become.

Dad decided we needed to go to church. Ouch! That was not in my contract with the move. I did not like church but dad said we were going to start looking. We visited mostly Catholic churches within a three-mile radius of our home. As providence had it, there was this little Baptist church only one mile away and dad said, “Let’s visit. What could be the harm?” Maybe just a little longer in purgatory. Boy was it different! We decided to go back, and when we did, the teenagers invited me to go to youth camp with them. Wow, God used that to introduce me not to a religion but a relationship with Jesus. I realized that Jesus death on the cross was for my sins and I put my faith in Him and what He did for me to get to heaven. Boy did my life change immediately. I was excited to tell others about this wonderful new life. I could not wait to get home. My brother Wayne was excited to learn about Christ the day I came home and he too accepted Jesus as his savior. Dad was a different story. At first he tried to deny what had happened to me, but about a month later my dad put his faith in Christ. From that moment on our family changed drastically. We all not only started to go regularly to church but became involved. Dad later became a deacon and headed up the visitation program for years. He wanted others to know about the saving work of Christ and how others could have a relationship with God. He was not ashamed to share his faith.

Our new lives continued to grow. College, careers and new families were on the horizon. Wayne married Susan Habaeger and had 3 girls; Stephanie, Melissa and Jessica. I married Janie Jarrell and we had six; Anna, Jason, Daniel, Jennifer, Elisa and Melissa. Nine Grandchildren in all and 22 Great Grandchildren.

Tired of the snow and cold, damp weather, Mom researched and secretly planned a move for their future. In 1993 mom convinced dad of the move and they left Michigan and headed to Arizona where they lived 28 wonderful years. They loved it, in this, oh so “warm” climate. But the time came for them of needing help with daily duties and care. So after much persuasion, Janie and I packed them up and moved them to Eugene to live with us in July of 2021. Unfortunately, Mom only lived 10 weeks with us and then passed with great peace to heaven on September 26, 2021. Dad continued to live with us for 3 ½ years. His precious PUTS (his nickname for Shirley – Precious Until Time Stops) was terribly missed and also the sunny warmth of Arizona. He would often ask why he lingered here, as he so wanted to go to heaven or return home to warmer Arizona. I would tell him, “Dad. God keeps you around because of your prayer life. You pray and encourage others and me. You continue to witness to many and you continue to praise your wonderful God.” What a joy to take care of our parents and see them off to eternity. My last words to dad was, “I will see you tomorrow.” Dad finished his course and God took him home so graciously and gently on December 8, 2024.

Contributions can be mailed to Camp Northwest Scholarship, 1375 Irving Rd. Eugene, OR  97404