St Paul Catholic School
SPHS Class of 1959
Classmates
Marie Kay Bach (Bompezzi)
Comments
After graduating from St Paul’s in 1959, I attended Siena Heights College in Adrian, Michigan on a service scholarship. Then I transferred to Western Michigan University in the fall of 1960 and graduated in June of 1963. My senior year, I met Mike Bach at a party on campus and we married the following August of 1963. I taught fourth grade for a year in Springfield, Michigan (near Battle Creek) and then moved to St Petersburg, Florida for a year. I taught fourth grade in a parochial school, St Jude's, and our son, Troy was born there.

When we moved back to Michigan in 1965 I began teaching in Vicksburg. I taught nineteen years in the elementary setting; 4-6th grade. Then I transferred to the Middle School and taught 15 years there; mainly 6th grade Language Arts and two years 8th grade American History. I was awarded Teacher of the Year in Vicksburg in 1986. Our daughter, Michelle was born in 1967.

After 24 years of marriage, I divorced in 1987. In 1988, I met Frank Gawkowski on a blind date. We had several mutual friends that fixed us . We're going for the longest courtship and engagement (its been 26 years!) We're trying to make the Guiness Book of World Records. I retired in 1999 after 36 years of teaching. Frank, who was principal of Portage Cental High School and the alternative High School retired 3 years later.

We've had wonderful trips to Maine, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Colorado, Yellowstone, Alaska and Florida. I was also lucky to go to Italy for 10 days with my daughter, Michele. Five years ago we bought our own Park Model travel trailer in Nokomis, Florida (near Venice, Florida). We winter there for three months, January- March. We are also blessed to have 15 grandchildren between us. Frank has 9 and I have 6 grandsons!

In 2008 I sold my house on Barton Lake after living there for 40 years! I had a condo built in South Portage, Michigan. I absolutely love it because I'm closer to town and I have woods and deer in my backyard.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2013 and had a lumpectomy in December 2013. I had a great lab report, Stage 1, tiny tumor, nodes and margins clear, and least aggressive.. The follow-up was in Venice, Florida this year with 30 radiation treatments. The prognosis is good and I am not carrying the mutated gene, Thank God! I'm glad that journey is behind me!

Since our 50th Reunion, we have traveled to Hawaii. We stayed in Maui for a family wedding and vacation.

Last August, 2023, we had a two weeks trip to Eastern Europe. We spent two nights in Vienna, Austria, two nights in Budapest, Hungary and four nights in Poland; Krakow and Warsaw. Some highlights were; a night cruise on the Danube River, a Hungarian feast in the Buda Hills, a tour of Auschwitz and a 400 ft. descent into the salt mines. Yes, "Life is good"!