Olga Petchnick came into this world on October 1, 1915 as Olga Gradishnic, fourth child of seven and daughter of Rudolph and Julia Gradishnic. Loved and respected by her children, her many grandchildren and friends, she passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 4, 2017. Olga’s parents, Rudolph and Julia, immigrated to the United States from Slovenia in 1902 and 1903 respectively.
Name changes from Zagradisniks in Slovenia to Gradishniks upon passing through Staten Island, and finally, for simplicities sake, in 1927 to Grady. The Grady name has remained unchanged now for 90 years. She will come to her final resting place alongside her husband Rudolph at the Hobart Maple Valley cemetery.
Preceded in death by her parents and five of her brothers and sisters, Olga is survived by her youngest sibling Richard Grady of Renton and her three children Judy, Rudy (Linda) and Dan (Cindy) and their families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Born on a family farm in Hobart, Washington, Olga attended primary school at the old Hobart grade school.
She remembers walking the two miles to and from school enduring even the harshest of winters while occasionally enjoying the freedom of cutting through nearby neighbors’ pastures to shorten her trek. She clearly recalls “snow up past my knees” in the winter of her first year in school. To make matters worse, she remembers freezes that would add a crust of ice atop the heavy snows, adding bloody shins to her journeys’ miseries when she would break through these crusts.
Despite all the long hours and endless work during her youth Olga reminisced fondly about life on the forty acre farm. After her eighth grade graduation her help was needed at home. Here she assisted with chores on the farm including tending the large vegetable garden, feeding the chickens and pigs. Additionally cows were milked by hand and, as was the custom, the milk was delivered in five or ten gallon cans to the “main road” a half mile distant. These milk cans were picked up and delivered to nearby creameries. Firewood was cut and chopped by hand. Vegetables, fruit and sauerkraut were canned. Sausages, hams and bacons were cured for the winter in the family smoke house. There was never a lack of work to be done.
With summers 80 years ago cooler than they are today, haymaking was not as successful a venture or task as it is currently. Hay was cut, turned, raked, stacked, loaded onto the old hay wagon and with luck, stored dry in the barn for the winter.
Orchard trees required annual fall pruning along with the summer harvest of fruit: apples, pears, cherries, plums to be eaten fresh or canned. Stumps … not just any stumps, but rather the four to six foot diameter old growth variety had to be cleared from pastures and Olga’s diary repeatedly mentioned after dinner sojourns to the field to “dig on the stump.”
Many happy family gatherings were enjoyed at the white farm house and barn on SE 224th. And it was indeed a rare occasion when further merriment was not enhanced or complemented with home brewed wine and white lightning. Over-ripe fruit collected from off the ground was not forsaken and quite often collected as the treasured main ingredient in these traditional “moonshine” recipes brought from the “old country.” Olga remained at home until, at age 22, she married Rudy Petchnick on June 18, 1938.
During World War II, Olga, alongside many women, bucked rivets for the Boeing Airplane Company. Prior to and during retirement Olga and Rudy became avid campers and travelers, maintaining an annual schedule of traveling in and about our westerns states and Canadian provinces. They enthusiastically embraced their outings not only in our northwest but also enjoyed trips to the mid-west and southwest. In Washington state Olga and Rudy concentrated their outings to north central Washington, mostly drawn there by the prospect of good fishing.
In 1978 Olga was preceded in death by Rudy, her husband of 40 years. Shortly thereafter she moved from Hobart to Black Diamond, where she became extremely active in the town’s Labor Day committee and celebration. The “peanut wagon” was always parked at her house. As a result of her joyful volunteerism mentality and active participation she was, at the ripe old age of 65, crowned Labor Day Queen. She loved a good polka and it was always amazing to witness her automatic, seemingly irrepressible foot tapping and smile on her face well prior to grabbing any nearby unsuspecting sole seated next to her willing to give her a whirl on the dance floor. Sisters, daughters, children, mothers were all fair game should there not exist available male partners.
Olga was president of the Hobart/Maple Valley Cemetery and for 30 years was instrumental in the upgrading and beautification of the grounds. She also was actively involved with the Maple Valley and Black Diamond historical societies. For a period of time when health allowed she attended Enumclaw’s Calvary Presbyterian church. Fond memories of her home cooking include apple streudel, blackberry pies, chicken and rice and plum dumplings.
Olga’s subtle sense of humor, intellect, quiet strength and resolve, her down to earth common sense, and her genuine caring interest in people defined her as a person. Olga lived and loved the remainder of her last 12 years at Enumclaw’s High Point Village where she enjoyed activities and bus rides into her late 90’s.
Well past her lOOth birthday, she remained concerned, first with the well-being of friends and family, always placing her personal self-interests and comforts as secondary. In Olga’s own words, “ I have done everything I wanted to do in my life and I was very happy’’.
To you, Mom, “NAZDRAVJE” (in Slovenian, pronouced Nazdrahvee).
Please join us in Olga’s memory and a celebration of Olga’s life on October first at the residence of Rudy and Linda Petchnick at 1:00 PM, 37921 292nd Way South, Enumclaw, WA 98022.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Maple Valley/Hobart Cemetery Association, 22042 260th Ave. South, Hobart, WA 98038, ATTN: In memory of Olga Petchnick.
