Terry Arciszewski
Terry Arciszewski has lived in Suffield all of her life. In fact, she is still living on the Ratley Road land which her mother bought. She grew up with family all around. Her grandparents lived on Risings Corner, and like many people who have lived for generations in one place, Terry is related to other town families – the Tureks, Maduras, Fetkos and Bariles, to name a few. Her mother was a Gogulski. Her grandparents changed their last name from Morusz to Mroz or Mrosz. My brother chose to use Mrosz and Terry used Mroz.
It’s a good guess that Terry comes from Polish stock. All of her grandparents came from Poland at a time when so many of their countrymen sought a better life in the United States. One of Terry’s grandmothers was put on the boat headed for America when she was only fifteen.
Suffield was smaller when Terry grew up. There were only 40 students in Terry’s class when she graduated. Her seventh- and eighth-grade classes were held in two rooms in McAlister School. It was a little crowded, she recalled. After she graduated, a new wing was added on the eastern side of the school.
Her family were parishioners at St. Joseph Church. Although hardworking and reverent, the church members knew how to have fun. They kicked up their heels at Stephen Beneski’s when members threw picnics there to raise money for the church. There was dancing, music, pierogis, beer and – of course bingo, and lots of laughter.
Terry remembers the town as it was back in the fifties and sixties – all the shops on Main Street including the Suffield Pharmacy with Dr. Caldwell and parking on the South Green.
She worked at the Springfield Gas & Light Company, but she met her husband at another job.
Frank Arciszewski repaired military aircraft at Flight Enterprises at Bradley Field. Terry was a secretary in the accounting department and later in maintenance. Sparks must have flown. Her last job was at St. Francis Hospital in the billing and collection department. When she gave her two weeks’ notice that she was retiring, she was asked to work part-time, which she did. When she finally retired, she was celebrated with three retirement parties.
But Terry never really retired. At 87, she is tireless. She volunteers a lot at the Suffield Senior Center – managing the lunch payments and setting up the games. Whatever is needed, she does! Her biggest triumph (and a lot of work) is the Victorian High Tea, a beloved annual tradition at the Senior Center that is always sold out. Terry is the founder of the event and has organized it for eleven years. This year she raised more than $1,600 for the Suffield Senior Center Kitchen fund with the help of her friends Cari Ceri, Sharon Duni Bruno, Ellen Taylor and Pattiann Christian. Raffles, a hat contest, scrumptious food and being waited on by town officials, firefighters and policemen delight the attendees. To honor Terry for all her hard work, she was presented with the Senior Center Civics Award at a Hartford Yard Goats game in July.
But Terry’s greatest award is her family. She and Frank raised three boys: Paul, John and Todd. There are now seven grandchildren and a fifth great-grandchild on the way. A family tradition is Pierogi Day.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the family gets together – four generations of them – with the littlest ones standing on chairs to reach the counter, to make pierogis. They make anywhere from 300 to 600. That’s a lot of pierogis! It’s a special day because the recipes used invoke past family members. The dough recipe came from Aunt Jenny. Terry’s mother-in-law is remembered when they mix her potato cheese filling. The cabbage filling is Terry’s mother’s recipe. One of Terry’s daughters-in-law was so moved by the day that she dedicated a book to Terry about what Pierogi Day meant to all of them.
Terry’s family, like the ducks which one of her sons kept after a second-grade school project, continue to return home for food and nourishment, generations later.
Terry’s “Made with Love“ Pierogi Dough
6 tablespoons Crisco, melted (measure after melting)
1 ½ cups warm milk
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups flour (add up to 2 additional cups as needed)
Mix well in this order (milk, Crisco, eggs, salt, flour). Let rise on a lightly floured surface covered with a towel.