Albion man remembered for surviving WWII and a deadly tornado to live 100 years

Few people get a parade in honor of their 100th birthday. But few people lived a life like John Suscheck did.

Suscheck, who died Aug. 27 — just 11 days after he turned 100 — survived both World War II and the Albion tornadoes. He lived to help raise eight children and enjoy time with 23 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and one great, great-grandchild.

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"Family and church were the two driving forces in my parents' lives," said his son, Dennis Suscheck. "There was hardly ever a week where he and mom, even well into their 80s, didn't go to Mass on Saturday night."

Suscheck's life as a U.S. Army veteran in World War II

Suscheck, an Albion native, was a well-known U.S. Army veteran, having joined both the Albion and Girard American Legion posts.

He served as a staff sergeant in the 175th Field Artillery Battalion, serving in Italy in 1945.

"Dad was a radio man, essentially on the front lines," said his son, Bob Suscheck. "One story he told was that the enemy kept cutting the communication lines and dad was supposed to climb the pole and repair them. A Sergeant Jones said he would do it, then a sniper got him on the pole. It could have been Dad."

Discharged after the war, Suscheck returned to Albion and married Ann Root. The couple remained together for 74 years until her death on Dec. 6.

After the war, Suscheck returned to Albion

Suscheck also returned to his job at Rogers Brothers Corp., an Albion-based trailer manufacturer. He remained there until 1984, long enough to be considered the company's longest-tenured employee outside of the owner's family.

But Suscheck wasn't content with just one job. He worked so many side hustles that his children jokingly claimed he wallpapered every house in Albion.

"Dad also built our family cottage in North Springfield using lumber from the old Rogers Brothers warehouses," said his daughter, Diane Formanski. "He even pounded the old nails straight so he could reuse them."

"Actually my job was to pull out the nails and straighten them," Dennis Suscheck said with a laugh. "He even made the windows himself."

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A powerful tornado in Albion destroyed the Suscheck family home

The Suscheck family lived in Albion, in the same house where Anne Suscheck was raised, until May 31, 1985. That's when a powerful tornado, packing winds as high as 260 mph, touched down in Albion and destroyed the home along with many others.

Many family members were in the house when the tornado struck, including three young children.

"My dad had just come home from the grocery store and was sitting at the kitchen table," Dennis Suscheck said. "My brother, Tom, looked out the window and saw the tornado. He alerted the family, and they all went to the basement while he ran upstairs to get his daughter."

Thankfully none of the Suschecks died, though Tom Suscheck suffered head injuries he continues to deal with nearly 40 years later.

John Suscheck was discharged from the hospital after suffering broken ribs. The family later decided not to rebuild the family home but instead moved to Fairview Township.

"Albion was always a special place but my parents didn't want to rebuild at their age," Dennis Suscheck said.

Suscheck quickly engaged with his new community, joining the Girard American Legion post like he had done years before with the Albion post.

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He often wore a World War II veteran's hat as he ran errands in Fairview and Girard. He also returned often to "Little Albion," the lakeshore cottage he had built in North Springfield.

"The cottage became our family's go-to place," Diane Formanski said. "We went there even after Dad's funeral. We put on his polkas and all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren danced polkas to his memory."

Special parade on 100th birthday, then a massive heart attack

Suscheck enjoyed good health well into his 90s and was able to celebrate his 100th birthday on Aug. 16 with a special parade in Girard.

Bob Suscheck is a member of the Girard American Legion Post's honor guard, and he worked for nearly a year to set up the parade for his father. When the honor guard stopped where Suscheck was sitting, he stood up from his chair, took off his veteran's hat and held it over his heart.

"He was just so happy," Bob Suscheck said. "He didn't expect something like that and it meant so much to him."

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The family was preparing for an official birthday celebration on Aug. 20 but hours after the parade ended, Suscheck suffered a massive heart attack at his home, where he lived alone. His daughter, Ann Marie Cook, found him the next morning on the back patio.

He was taken to the hospital, then released home several days later for hospice care.

"It was his wishes and my mom's wishes to die at home," Dennis Suscheck said. "We brought him home and he died peacefully at home."

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: John Suscheck: Survived World War II and Albion tornado, died at 100