Elizabeth Dorothy Jordan (aka Betty Kosak)'s Story

This is the story of Betty Jordan Kosak as best recalled by her kids and grandkids.

Birth to Emigration

Betty was the twelfth and youngest born to Joseph Jordan and Franciska Baznik in Sentjernej, Slovenia. Born a few years before the event that started World War I nearby, life was to begin as a tumultuous time for her. The geographic area would not see an end to the issues until independence in 1993. Luckily, Betty would recover sooner.

Slovenia itself was part of the ))Austro-Hungarian(( empire at the time and is nestled into the southern Alps like Northern Italy. It forms the southern gateway between the Romanic and Cyrillic languages of Europe and Asia. As such, its culture and language is a merger of Italy to its left, German speaking Swiss to the north, and the Serbs and Croats to their West and South. Senjernej itself is about halfway on the road from Libliajana (the capital of Slovenia) and Zagreb (the capital of Croatia). Slovenia has long been a prosperous territory, even during the long post War communist party rule as part of Jugoslavia. It was the first to gain independence from Jugoslavia in 1993, without any bloodshed.

Betty's family had a ship building company and owned many forest lands for timber in the foothills of the Alps and around Sentjernej. They likely had some docks and land in Dubrovnic or other port cities as well. They were well connected in the territory; reflected by brother Karel being the mayor of Sentjernej at the start of World War II; having taken over from his Uncle from his father's mother's side (Khrin).

Betty's father had taken to gambling, drinking and other vices that quickly dwindled the family business and resources. He died when Betty was about a year old and so Betty never knew him. Her mother died when she was around six and thus ripped the family life apart for her and her siblings. Check out Jodan Baznik for more of this event that split them all apart. Their Uncle Khrin, the mayor of the town, split the many kids up among relatives in Zagreb, Trebnej and America.

Because of the dissolving and struggling family life, Betty was essentially an orphan for a few years even before her mother passed on. She would often visit the nearby Pleterje monastery in Sentjernej and ring the bell at the gate. The monks were wine makers and did well enough to care for themselves and the surrounding populace. As such, they offered help to the poor when asked and Betty took advantage by getting a warm, cooked meal daily from them. She is shown during her visit in 1985 standing near the bell she rang at their gate daily – still there some 70 years later.

With the passing of her parents and a World War surrounding them, the large family was split up among the relatives and older siblings. Two older sisters — Frances and Antoinette — moved to Cleveland, Ohio with their mother Francis' brother xxxx Baznik to start a new life. Karel, Mara, Josephina and Betty moved to a ???? house, or castle, near Trebnej a few miles closer to Liblijuana. By 1923, four years after her mother's death, Betty was 11 and came with her sister Josephina (who was 19 at the time) to live with their older sisters in Cleveland, Ohio. They both traveled the long journey by train and boat to arrive at Ellis Island in November of 1923. After a short stay, they made their way to the older sisters house in Cleveland, Ohio.

Early years in Cleveland

Within a year of arriving, Josephina (aka Pepca) died of complications from the flu. This was the only family the young Betty really knew. As Betty was much younger than her sisters, she was treated more as house help than a sibling. She was made to work for her keep. When Betty arrived, she was placed in first grade because she could not speak English. But she quickly advanced in grade as her English advanced.

By 16, Betty was forced out to servitude in a "rich" family house — Mrs. Gebaur in Shaker Heights. She was treated very well by Mrs Gebaur who took her in as her personal maid but more as a foster child. This continued for a number of years until Betty met Frank early in the next decade.

Frank Kosak had worked for the family business, the bar, and drove the priest from St. Lawrence out to Maple Heights for catechism classes. Although Betty was not allowed to attend the catechism class, the National home where classes were held was across the street from Teta Francis house where they had a gas station nearby also. Betty was required to pump the gas and it seems they met this way. When Frank got married to Betty, he was disowned and lost his job, during the depression, for marrying an immigrant. This even though their family were recent immigrants themselves.

Marriage and Raising a Family through the Depression

Being a part of the large Slovenian community surrounding Saint Lawrence church, Betty soon found friendship and love in a fellow Slovenian, Frank Kosak, who had been born in Cleveland. They were married at Saint Lawrence Church in August, 1931. Children David, Betty Ann, and Marjorie followed soon after with Daniel coming later. Times were tough as this was the height of the long depression. And being part of the recent immigrant community, opportunities were less for them all. Frank worked at xxxxx Tool and Die xxxxxx. Marriage into the Kosak clan and bringing up a family of her own allowed Betty to come onto her own with her older sisters. By the late 40's, they began to be known as "the big three" as they ruled the local family hierarchy. Betty became a naturalized citizen in 1937. Betty was finally reaching a better life.

The Second War and Kids Growing up

With the end of the war, her kids were also coming of age. The whole extended family began to prosper more as the hard work and savings of the generation before turned them into owners of homes and businesses. By the early 1950's, the first three kids were leaving home after marriage. Marge and Dave would move out of Ohio all together. Betty Ann would move to Ashtabula but Dan was still a teenager and would not leave until marriage in 1965.

In 1947, Pastor Baznik (Betty's cousin), Lou and Louise Prhne and Betty all traveled to Italy in hopes of crossing the border and meeting the family. Although the war had ended, those who took control of Slovenia and surrounding countries maintained control as a communist totalitarian state. The border had been closed since the end of the war when Tito formed the federation of Jugoslavia. A cousin, xxxxxx, had become a member of their secret police and even killed her parents and siblings as a show of loyalty to the state. Because of Karel's heroic action during the war that so angered the state, Karel was still considered an enemy of as a result; making visits to remaining family members that much more precarious.

Betty and her sister Justa could see each other across the border in Trieste from the respective Italian and Jugoslavian guard shacks. There was a mere 10 to 20 yards of no man's land between them. Not having traveled so far to only be turned away, Betty persevered. Guards at both stations were just young teenage recruits. But with rifle's pointed and threats of being shot, Betty crossed into no-man's land to give a hug and try to exchange words with her sister. The guards were fighting with them and each other making it chaotic and difficult to converse. Soon the sisters were separated back apart into Italy and Jugoslavia, respectively. They would not be able to meet again until 1965.

The Kosak and Jordan families began a movement to resettle into Maple Heights and the burgeoning Slovenian community there. See Bob Kastellic's historical account of the Maple Heights Slovenian National Home of which the Jordan and Kosak families played a part in developing.

Becoming grandparents

By 1960, Frank and Betty had three of their children married and out of the house. Seven grand kids were there with thirteen more to come in the 1960's. Betty went to work as a sales lady in the Fur department of Halle's department store. Her kids remember Betty taking the grandchildren back into the store room and laying them down on fur coats to change their diapers. Little did we know then of the luxury we were enjoying after the years of hardship she had faced to get to that point.

The kids began to move farther away as they sought a more prosperous future that was not so tied to the old ethnic, Slovenian community. Being American born, English speaking, schooled and of European decent, the kids could seek opportunities and employment around the country. Dave, the oldest, moved to the Bayou of Louisiana in 195x to fly seaplanes for the oil exploration companies of the Gulf. He had met a local Cajun girl, Janice Saba, and settled down into his new life within their community. Betty Ann, next oldest, was transferred to Ashtabula in 1957 (a half days ride then as highways did not exist) after Wally's baseball career came to an end. Wally had started a new career with Reliance Electric soon after marriage and that took him out to a new plant to operate a new invention they had just acquired — something called an IBM computer. Marjorie married Edward Lostoski who took a job with the Navy designing HVAC systems and thus relocated them to Washington D.C. (specifically Potomac was home) where they would stay for many years. Daniel would be married in 1965 and move out of that Maple Heights home but not too far away (to Bedford).

The Psychedelic Era

While the rest of the country sought to deal with the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Nixon politics, and Rock-and-Roll Music, Betty had her own issues to deal with. Frank passed away in mid 1972 at the young age of 64. But it seems Betty's stature of running the fur department and being the youngest in her generation of siblings would help make her still a catch at her young 60 years of age. Suitors came to woo and one finally managed to grab her. She married again in 1975 to Stanley Gawor, a recent widower himself and retired executive from Alcoa. They soon sold the Nitra Avenue home in Maple Heights and then even Stan's home in Seven Hills as they followed her sister Franca to Fort Meyers, Florida. It was the thing to do back then — move from the rust to sun belt. But Franca and Joe passed away shortly after arriving there and so did Stan. Left with no real family and cultural community, Betty soon returned to Cleveland.

Living a long, good life

Betty lived in a senior apartment community that had everything from non-assisted to assisted living. She bought her own groceries, made her own meals, and still drove to events. But it was not the same as her larger houses full of grandkids from before. She soon became more sedentary and prone to illness during the long winter months. As a result, in 198x, her oldest daughter Betty Ann convinced her to leave that life in Cleveland and move in with them in North Carolina. They had retired there in 1983 and were empty nester's as well.

Betty enjoyed many years of healthful living there under the care of her daughter. Many of her nieces and nephews that were spread around the country came to visit them there. Betty, Betty Ann, and Wally often made trips back to Cleveland as family events occurred. With new highways, it was an easy eight hour drive up.

In 1985, Betty traveled with Betty Ann, Wally and her grandson Randy back to Sentjernej, Lourdes and other favorite places. They met Justi, Nadica, abd Vasiljo among others. Although civil war broke out soon after, it would not be Betty's last trip. Her son David and other daughter Marge would take her back there and to Medagorjie in 1988. That would be her last trip to the homeland though.

Betty had the opportunity to make two more trips of note though. Her grandson Randy, who lived in California and traveled with her to Slovenia in 1985, had looked up her surviving brother Karel and his daughter Lili in Los Angeles. Randy would visit Karel and Milia on his frequent trips to LA and share in Potica and Wine that was always ready and available. Soon it became visits with his wife and newborn daughter in tow. Betty would come out with Wally and Betty Ann on their drives to California to visit their son and family. They would always swing through Los Angeles to meet Karel, Lili, Branca and others. One of the trips was in September 1998 for Karel's 100th birthday. Karel finally passed away in 2000 at the age of 102. His wife Milia passed away a few months later at 97. They had been married 7x years and there ashes are buried back in Sentjernej. This left Betty as the sole surviving sibling.

Betty had always wanted to accomplish one act. They had never had enough money back in the 1920's or 1930's to get a gravestone for her sister Josephine (aka Pepca). She had always talked about getting it one day. So her kids got together and gifted the stone to her one mother's day in the early 2000's. Dan worked with Calvary Cemetery to find her grave site and finally have it marked. No one but Betty would ever really know how important Pepca had been to her young sisters life.

Betty's health slowly declined in the 2000's. Betty Ann and Wally, with Marge helping when they needed to leave, cared for her many needs. Dan visited often as did the many grand kids, nieces and nephews. Although she clearly wanted to remain matriarch of the large Kosak clan, she finally succumbed to conditions of age a few months after her 93rd birthday at Betty Ann and Wally's home in North Carolina. The funeral was held back at Saint Lawrence church and Fortuna funeral home — a place the family had all spent much time at over the years. She is buried next to Frank in Calvary Cemetery with so many other relatives of that day. As if to signal the close of this era, Saint Lawrence church itself was finally closed a few years later in 2009.

All but one of her twenty grand children made the funeral. Dave had passed away of lung cancer by this time as did Dan's wife Joanne of a pulmonary embolism at the young age of 53. But the other children were there as well as grand children, now aged 51 down to 30's and even Grandparents themselves now. The funeral home and neighborhood were abuzz in the sleeting snow as they all shared the joy and laughter that was made possible by the hardships and benefits of the two generations before. Great-grand kids were being told the stories of Nana, the Big Three, and life of the immigrant families in Cleveland. Songs in Slovenian filled the air as Dan, Bob, Lou and others brought back the memories of childhoods. The grand kids all voted, without hesitation or reservation, that Betty Ann become the new Matriarch and “Grand” Nana. While all knew she would carry the gavel well with her twenty plus years of recent training, they also knew the era had passed and the experience of their kids and grand kids would be quite different from that point forward.