Sumpter Fest honors 100-year-old citizen Walter Krakowiak

When Walter Krakowiak celebrated his 100th birthday in January, he was surprised by a party at the Sumpter Senior Center hosted by his fellow senior members.
He had no idea that was just the beginning of the celebrations of his longevity.
This year, the Sumpter Country Fest Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission also selected Krakowiak as the Honored Citizen for 2016. Each year, the committee members attempt to find the oldest member of the community to honor during the event and parade.
He and Grand Marshall Dave Seegert will be leading this year’s parade, which will start at noon from the corner of Judd and Sumpter roads, heading to the fairgrounds.
Krakowiak has lived in Sumpter Township for 95 of his 100 years and he is proud of his community heritage. His parents purchased a farm on Sherwood Road in 1918 where his family, including his two sisters and three brothers, lived.
He only moved from the family farm when he married Florence Soja in 1940. The newlyweds purchased a house in Dearborn, but in 1942 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for 32 months in the Pacific Islands. When he returned from his military service, he and his wife and their two daughters returned to Sumpter and lived in a home on Rawsonville Road.
He began building his present home on Willis Road in 1955 and has lived there to this day. His family now includes eight grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Krakowiak, a member of the PLAV and VFW, enjoys gardening and sharing the produce and flowers he raises with friends, neighbors and family members. He and his wife began a bed of gladiolus while they lived on Rawsonville Road and often went to Eastern Market in Detroit to sell their flowers.
To this day, he said, he plants a few bulbs for cutting of the tall, regal stalks of gladiolus blooms. He has also had many vegetable gardens at his Willis Road home where, since his retirement from Ford Motor Co. in 1977 after 30 years of employment, he also enjoys hobbies like fishing, coin collecting and woodworking. He especially enjoyed cypress clock making and cabinetry, he said.
He and his wife also traveled extensively after his retirement including winters in Florida in their motor home.
Krakowiak has been a member of the Sumpter Senior Center for many years and said he enjoys riding the bus and having lunch with the other members. He said he was surprised and grateful for the party the seniors group hosted for him this year.
“The girls worked very hard planning the party and did a wonderful job for me,” he said.
“I wish to thank the Sumpter Township Parks and Recreation Commission for selecting me as the Honored Citizen of the 2016 Sumpter Country Fest Parade this year,” he said.