I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Niemiec.
He used to ride his bike around the neighborhood and whenever he saw me outside he'd stop and we'd have some of the most passionate and thoughtful political debates two people with complete opposite views could have. Neither of us could change the other's views but we always walked away agreeing to disagree. I miss those discussions.
One summer I grew too many tomatoes. My Mom suggested I call Mr. Niemiec and ask if he wanted them. He drove over immediately and filled numerous bags. He said he and his wife like to can them. To show his appreciation of our generosity, he told us that two tickets to four separate theatrical performances at the Masonic/Stranahan Theater were available for my Mom and I to use. My Mom went to all four and were the last performances see saw before she passed. Thank You, Mr. Niemiec. Such a class act!
On that same day Mr. Niemiec picked up the tomatoes, he spent over an hour in my Mom's house telling her and I story after story of some of hundreds if not thousands of top-name performers he got to meet working back stage at the Masonic over the years. He told us of their real personality on and off the stage. He had enough stories to fill a book, and that book would have been a great read based on just the stories he told us. And he could have made a separate book of all the photos and autographs he got from many of those same performers. He may have had the best part-time job of all time!
Two other things Mr. Niemiec and I really enjoyed were talking about sports and history. We shard a lot of common memories from days gone by. He was well-read and had interesting opinions on numerous topics. I never got tired of conversing with him. He was a high-quality individual and I'm glad I had the chance to know him.
My condolences to his family. You were all his biggest fan and highest priority.
Bob Snyder
Palm Bay, Florida
Formerly of Corry Avenue, Toledo, Ohio
