John Hochban - 1910

Part  Two (1941-1977 )
WINNIPEG: (1941-1947)
John must have obtained a job before we moved since I only recall him working for the Air Force installing and repairing radios in fighter planes. World War II was in full force by now and most people had jobs associated with the war effort. This experience with radios allowed Dad to open a small radio repair shop in Grandpa Yauks summer kitchen, which he used as an evening job. This supplemented his income which allowed the family to buy a second hand model-A Ford car and thus began the family trips.
Even though the war was on, this appears to be the happiest time the family had together. The majority of friends and relatives lived in Winnipeg or surrounding farms, which induced close get togethers. The car age opened trips and holidays to many of Manitoba's Lakes and parks (Whiteshell, Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg), and also visits to Dads sister Lena, the Birgs in Crivitz, Wisconson.
Locally, Winnipeg has its own special features with two large rivers, many parks and water reserve - Birds hill, all superb areas for picnics and swimming. John one more time upgraded his car to a big Dodge which had seats more like a chesterfield, soft & plush. To protect his car he had to convince Grandpa Yauk to build a garage on part of his garden plot. This was sad, since two conflicting generations were expressing their own needs on a 12x12 piece of land. The garage got built but grandpa Yauk got tears.
This new job boom allowed John to obtain his greatest desire, MUSIC. He now put together his own Hi-Fi system (stereo didn't exist yet) and purchased 78 rpm albums of the Classics. His two favorites were Beethoven and especially Strauss which he would play most days. I feel these Strauss records took him back to his life in Austria-Hungary were music was a way of life. He did get tickets to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, on special occasions, which the whole family appreciated. It even led to my 7 years of violin study, which unfortunately ended when we moved back to Toronto, but I was able to play in amateur orchestras later.
Each year John would take some holiday time to help relatives or friends to bring in the wheat harvest. This also seems part of Johns past Zichydorf  history, the need and desire to participate in the harvest. For my own part, I was fortunate to spend a month on the Crivitz farm with my aunt Lena, uncle Matt, and cousins Annie, Katie, and Joe Birg, which is a wonderful memory for me.

German culture thrived in Winnipeg and the language was used regularly in the home and with friends. Norm, my brother and I never spoke German but I could fully understand what was said, especially the dumbkopt expressions and finger flicks on my ear when I didn't obey adults. 
An interesting aspect of the language spoken was the conflict between the Hochban language (high German) and the Yauk German (Low). Sometimes I think they didn't know what each was saying to each other. The whole Winnipeg experience was wonderful for our family but after grandma Yauk died, John got the wanderlust again and was determined to return to Toronto, his first love for a city.
TORONTO (1948-1974)
Early one morning, after the car was packed, we started our return to Toronto. We would pass through Crivitz, on our return, visiting the Birg family farm. John had evidently secured a job back at the bathroom fixtures plant and made arrangements to stay at the Ott family in Toronto until he found a house. The Ott's came from Zickydorf to Toronto at some period.

Dad loved to get up early for any of our trips and this was no different, up at 4:00 am. This was however the closest we came to being killed. Dad fell asleep half way to the American border and the car ran into a wheat field. The saving grace was the flatness of the Manitoba prairie. After a shaking stop of two hours we carried on once daylight began but with heavy heart.
From my perspective, there was little contact with Dad and Mom after a years arrival in Toronto except for meals together. I began High school and became very independent like most teenagers do. We did find a small house which was on the city limits (today its more the center of Toronto) and John began to spend time fixing up the home to his liking. It had three rooms and a bedroom in the basement for Norm and myself. Dad loved flowers so he planted rose bushes around this little home which bloomed to perfection.
I had student weekend and summer jobs all through my stay in Toronto up until the time I finished College when I found my 29 year job with Atomic Energy of Canada. This was located 500 km N/E from Toronto, on the Ottawa River, which John and Kay would visit and spend summer holidays in a cabin. I did help support Dad in a minor way, while I remained in the house, but was indebted to him for providing food and shelter during my school years.
Once I left for research in Chalk River, John and Kay bought their second home in Toronto. Norm left for Montreal a few years later. This was in a wonderful residential part of the city called Willowdale and gave Mom and Dad probably their most rewarding period. They now could garden, travel, visit friends and all the simpler pleasures of life. The one downfall was health.
My father was never a healthy individual, especially as regards his lungs, and had a persistent leg problem which caused difficulty in walking. (he always had this). He loved his pipe and later turned to cigarettes which eventually killed him with his chronic heart and emphysema.
John loved going to work, maybe not so much for the actual work itself but for the comradeship he had with his fellow workers. I never heard a complaint from him about his job but he did have worry about completing his pension time. His health got so bad that the only job his company could give him was operating the industrial elevator. A very good friend and boss at American Standard kept John at work until he finally could retire. This he did and within a year sold his Toronto home and moved to Deep River, Ont., my home with now seven children and first wife. Deep River is the bedroom village for Atomic Energy at Chalk River and is located 15 km upstream from the research center on the Ottawa river.
Deep River: (1974-1977)
John made a couple of trips to find a house, and almost bought a disaster but was convinced not to buy. On his way back to Toronto, that same day, I found the perfect bungalow for Dad. He could not use stairs so this applied. It had a walking forest in his backyard and a wonderful beach just around the corner. Best of all he could afford it. Poor Dad, he arrives home in Toronto and I phone the same day to tell him about this place but its going to sell fast. 
He and Kay then must make a return trip the next day, and they wind up finalizing purchasing the 5 room bungalow.
This was a happy time for John And Kay. They had 7 grandchildren to doat on, and after church all would arrive at their home for a special lunch. I was in the process of building my new home, 10 km from Deep River, on a cliff overlooking the Ottawa river. This had become a fascinating endeavor for me as I had to become a carpenter, electrician and plumber all during the 6 yrs of contruction. I had purchased a small beach just below this cliff, accessed by car, so Dad could also enjoy the water with the children. We were able to take Dad fishing, in this paradise, and he finally caught his first fish plus many more in the following years.

During winter, John and Kay would rent a small apartment in Florida for a couple of months which was a blessing for Dad. He was getting worse with his emphysema, he finally had given up smoking, but walking became almost non existent and the beginnings of diabetes had arrived. The Florida warm helped his breathing and allowed him to at least get into the fresh air.
Back in Deep River he maintained his love for music and devoted much time building up his new Stereo music hobby. He would spend time with his music and watched reasonable quality television which now was accessable in Deep River. Through it all, John and Kay remained deeply attached and supported each other whatever the circumstance. It was getting difficult for for Kay however and much of the work fell on her shoulders.

It was during this time that I went through my own private hell, divorced and received an annulment from the Catholic church, married Charlotte LeBlanc in the Deep River Catholic church 5 yrs later. It was a double blast for me since on 05 Jul 1977, Dad suffered a massive heart attack, after a short walk in the forest, and died in his backyard.
I was able to have his funeral at my Catholic church, Our Lady of Good Council, whose religion always remained in his heart, regardless what the past dictates were. We buried him in the Deep river Catholic cemetery Jul 5-77. 

My mother Kay remained in Deep River until she died 01 Feb. 1997 and was buried beside her partner in life, John Hochban.