In this lovely family photograph from 1943, Mrs. Eva Stacks is standing in the middle with her family around her, at their home on Railroad Avenue, in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. She has her hands on the shoulders of her two sons, Nicholas and Michael Szurick. Nick is the one wearing the Navy uniform, and Mike is the one with the Army uniform. I remember Mrs. Stacks, and also her family farm house, with fond memories. She was one of those neighbors with only kind words, and lots of candy, cookies, and cake waiting for visitors. Her kitchen seemed to always have a blue light burning when she was home.

In this picture Nicholas Szurick has his arms around his sister, Mary Szurick Mazur on the left, and neighbor, Mary Mirota, on the right. His sister had just married in May of 1943, and possibly this was the first time Nick had leave from the Navy to come home.

Both brothers came home from World War II safe. Michael Szurick (1917-1987) married Agnes Watrel in September of 1951, and stayed in Readington Township, Hunterdon County, NJ. He enjoyed helping at the Polish American Citizens Club and the American Legion. Nicholas Szurick (1919-2002) married Betty Lou Wiley in Seattle, Washington in May of 1944, and stayed in the Seattle area the rest of his life.He had taken a trip out west with his friend and neighbor, Joe Mirota, while they were in their teens. They had hopped freights and hitch-hiked out together, and Nick fell in love with the West coast. Nick, Mike, and Mary Szurick also had a brother, John Stacks, from their mother’s marriage to Stanley Stacks, after the death of their father.

Family Friends Friday is a blogging prompt suggested by Geneabloggers, as a way to remember the friends and neighbors that were important in your family’s life.