Born approximately 1910, lived most of his life in Philadelphia, worked first as a fireman in Philadelphia and later at UPS. Married to Catherine and had children John, Loretta, Jean Joanne, Joseph, and Michael. Died in 1979.
John Descher was my grandfather and I was lucky to know him for 20 years before he suddenly passed away. I think that when you spend a lot of time with people you love and respect, you tend to take on some of their traits. I don't know that a lot of people would have described Grandpop as " warm and fuzzy" but I got to see his tender side on many occasions - he just had his own style. I too would not be considered as warm and fuzzy so this is a good time to let you know that just because I'm not hugging you or showering you with compliments doesn't mean I don't love you. Before I talk about my experiences with my grandfather, I'll fill you in on some of his background as I know it. Keep in mind that family stories are not always accurate and you hear different things from different people but this is what I recall. Grandpop's parents both died when he was a youngster, leaving him orphaned and looking for a stable place to live. My understanding of exactly who raised him and where is very sketchy. I was told that he lived for some period of time in an orphanage where he was not always treated very well. He ran away from there at some point and lived in several places with legend having it that he lived for some period of time in a chicken coop. In any event, he had a rough upbringing but somehow managed to pick up a number of skills along the way. Whether a car needed to be fixed, a new roof needed to be installed or someone needed something built, Grandpop would take care of the situation himself. He would somehow manage to make it through his rough times as a youngster and marry my grandmother, Catherine Bolger, gain employment as a Philadelphia firefighter and start his own family. Unfortunately, tragedy would strike again. My grandfather's first-born child, John Jr. was struck by a truck on his way to the corner store and was killed instantly. The pain this man endured before I ever met him is unimaginable to me. I would guess that many people would have given up on life at this point or at the very least would have gone into a shell. Not my grandfather. My mother told me that he was well known in the Germantown section of Philadelphia for putting his carpentry skills to good use by making toys for kids in the neighborhood or helping anyone who needed it with home repair projects. These same carpentry skills were put to good use in my family home and I'm sure the homes of many of my extended family. He helped us out with many repair projects but the greatest of all was the ping-pong table. As a young boy, I must have made it known that I would have liked a ping-pong table in our basement. Well, one day I went off to school and when I got home, there was a ping-pong table in the basement - a home-made one. Grandpop gathered some scrap wood and made a trip to the local lumberyard and put together the best ping-pong table that any kid in Schenectady, New York ever had. That thing was solid as a rock. The only problem was that it was one piece and when my parents finally sold our house a few years ago, it was impossible to get it out of the house. It was still in great condition! He did this on one of his many trips from Philadelphia to Schenectady. My siblings and I were so lucky to not only have terrific grandparents but to see them so frequently in spite of living 4 hours away. I can remember so many Little League and CYO games with my grandparents in the stands cheering me on. For them, a 4-hour drive to take in their grandson's ballgame was nothing. I learned lessons both big and small from Grandpop. We went on many fishing trips in his small boat and he always told me to make sure that I didn't tie my shoe laces just in the unlikely event that I would fall overboard. Who knew that on one of these trips HE would fall in and we'd have to drag him back in the boat? He also taught me the value of hard work. He was a man who did things the right way and never stopped until the job was done. But he couldn't keep it at that. He hated lazy people and wsn't afraid to voice his opinion on this matter. I recall that for many years there was a home on Eastern Avenue in Schenectady that was badly in need of a new paint job. During all these years, the owner of this house seemed to be constantly sitting on his front porch with his feet perched up on the rail of his porch. This drove my grandfather crazy! Any time we'd go to visit him in Philadelphia, one of his first questions for me was always " Did that lazy bum paint his house yet?".
Grandpop was also a physical fitness buff and was described by some as "pound for pound, the strongest man in Philadelphia". He was constantly teaching me wrestling and boxing moves and asking me how many push-ups I could do. One of the ways I try to keep myself motivated from packing on even more pounds than I already have is to keep a picture nearby of Grandpop on the beach in Wildwood - the guy was jacked! Speaking of Wildwood, this is where we spent a lot of with Grandpop. My grandparents owned a small house in Wildwood and we were always welcome there. Many of my greatest memories took place in Wildwood and none of them would have been possible were it not for my grandparents' hospitality. In my late teens, I'd bring my buddies down the shore and they too developed a special place in their hearts for my grandfather. Another thing that struck me in my times in Wildwood were how many people from Philadelphia used to stop in to say hello to my grandparents.
Ironically, I learned that one of the best days of my life was also one of his. Following my senior year in high school, I spent a day with my grandfather and he drove me around some of the neighborhoods where he grew up and shared story after story. I loved every second of it! When I woke up the next day, my grandmother told me that he told her how much he enjoyed our time together. Grandpop would die less than 2 years later and even though I miss him so much and would have loved to have spent more time with him , I will always cherish that day we spent together.
As I look back, I realized some of the great lessons I learned from my grandfather:
- When I think of the things he overcame, I'd be foolish to complain about my problems
- Work hard
- Share your gifts
- Recognize how important family is and do whatever it takes to stay connected with them
God Bless Grandpop!!!
Bill Gallagher
