Michael Popowich Sr. was born on March 14, 1944, and lived until June 15, 2012. It is my sad opportunity to share this with his friends and neighbors in the Bronx. Dad grew up in Manhattan, and was raised by my Uncle Walter Kunick, who also lived in the Norwood section of the Bronx by the Reservoir Oval — the same neighborhood where I lived with my father for over 40 years.

Michael Sr. unfortunately did not know his father, as he died in World War II. This would be a major part of my father’s life: trying to find memories of his own father any way he could. Fortunately, my Uncle Walter raised him, and the rest of his family, including my father’s mother, Mary, who also lived with my uncle at the Norwood address with another uncle. My father always said how much he looked up to our uncle for being so strong to take care of their family on his own, despite growing up with his own difficulties, such as being raised in an orphanage, and living in a time when the economy was very bad. This type of dedication, and hard working ethic was something that carried over to my father as he took care of our family for all of his life.

We grew up first on East Gun Hill Road, but after a few years, moved to Putnam Place, across the street, where my father lived for much of my life, as well as my mother, his wife Barbara, and my brother David. Growing in the Bronx had many challenges for our family, but my father always did his best to keep us together: whether it was my mother’s long battle with her health issues, my problems with school, or my brother being a first responder during 9/11.

My father also had much to do with my brother’s goal of being a professional baseball player. When we were kids, my father coached us, and many other kids in Mosholu Little League which was around for many years in our neighborhood. I still speak with players from then who remember my father, and how he was so nice to everyone, calling him “the coach.” He was also a photographer for the league, which was one of his other hobbies, besides bowling, and fishing.

Fishing is what my father was known for most. He grew up working on City Island, shucking clams, which I have been told is how he met my mother. My father took his experience in the food business and became a supervisor for many years for a catering business. I remember him taking me to work to show me how it was to work hard for a living.

Mike Sr. was always a hard working person, as most people in the Bronx are, and as I mentioned, our Uncle Walter was the same way, doing whatever he could to support our family. That same work ethic was passed down to the rest of our family.

When my father injured his back while I was a teenager, he worked as a cab driver for many years with Dee-lite cab service which was located on East 204th Street. Dad was appreciated while working there by both other drivers and customers. He did his best to take care of our family, with or without a disability, including my mother, who suffered for many years with health issues until she passed in 2004.

As difficult as it was for my father to provide for us, he still had the honor of watching one of his sons serve in the Navy, then become a detective, as well as enjoy my brother’s two beautiful children.

His other son, me, eventually graduated from Cornell, and received my Masters at Lehman College for Social Work just before he passed on. I am thankful that my Dad lived long enough to see our achievements this far in life, although of course, I still wish that he was here.

Even before my father’s last days, he continued to work as much as possible with his fishing and collectible trade to provide for his family, while also doing what he enjoyed.

It is very difficult to write about my father in this light, but it helps knowing how many lives he touched as every day I run into friends and neighbors, at places like the Oval Pharmacy, who say how much they miss him.

I am writing this as a memorial for my father for others who may or may not have known him, but also to show that although it can be very challenging growing up in the Bronx, with strength, determination, and a lot of love, there can still be much to be thankful for.

Ed. Note: Mike Popowich Jr. is a lifelong Norwood resident. A version of this opinion piece appeared in the Sept. 20-Oct. 3 print edition of the Norwood News.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.