Chester Janicki & Kathryn Weber

My Dad was born in Chicago on June 15, 1917, and baptized 2 days later. His parents were John and Sophie (Przeslowska) Janicki. He was the oldest of their 4 surviving children. In 1926, when Chester was 9 years old, his mother Sophie traveled to Poland with him and the 2 next oldest children (Walter & Stephanie).

My Dad attended Weber High School in Chicago and graduated in June, 1934. From 1934 to 1937, he attended the Central YMCA College in Chicago. In December, 1941, he completed a couse in Higher Accountancy at La Salle Extension University, a correspondence Institution in Chicago.

For a year and a half, he worked in Chicago as an auditor at Standard Brands

In July, 1942, he was inducted in the U.S. Army. A few days later, on August 1, he married my mom in Chicago (wedding picture) . Less than 2 weeks later, he entered active service. He attended Personnel School at Ft. Warran, Wyo. After that, he studied German language at the Uiversity of Wisconsin In Madison. His final assignment was in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a combination retail merchandise manager and office accountant with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). This was the precursor to the CIA.

After the war, my parents moved to the village of Mazomanie, Wisconsin, and opened a furniture store there. At the same time, we lived nearby in a cottage along the Wisconsin River. My sister Margaret (Peggy) (nee Janicki LaBarbera) was born in 1947, while we were living in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, the furniture store failed, and our family moved west to Hornbrook, a small town in far northern California. In 1950, my parents opened a restaurant in Hornbrook called the Hi-Way Cafe. Check out the low prices in the breakfast menu!

On August 22, 1971, my father died in Whittier from a heart attack.