Once immigrated, her family settled in Northern Indiana in the early 1900s, and it is here where she met a fellow Polish immigrant, and my great-grandfather, Walter Wyczawski. She and Walter had four children together (including my grandfather, Raymond Wyczawski) who they raised through the pandemic of 1918, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. It was one political and economic world of instability traded for another. Plus, Mary and her family lived in a community prone to discriminate against Eastern European Immigrants resulting in limited access to housing, and high paying jobs.
However, in true Matka fashion, she refused to accept what was expected and began to write her own story. As if raising four children wasn’t already a full-time job, she also began hourly work at a local woolen mill. She became active in labor organizing, and was one of the first female leaders of the local labor union, which fought for better working conditions and rights for the very community who saw her Polish family as too different to be accepted. To her, opportunity didn’t exist within a certain social status or citizenship, but was available in a world governed by the principles of perseverance, kindness, and equality.
The term matka, in Polish, is commonly reserved for mothers, but as her children grew their own families with eleven grandchildren, Mary quickly became a matka to all – no matter the generation. The same woman who kept a family of six fed during one of the most tumultuous economic times in U.S. history, kept the faith for her enlisted sons in war, and was on the frontlines of change for all, also let her overflowing love for her family be at the crux of her identity. She knew hard work, but she embodied tenderness and stability.
Her grandchildren remember her home as a place of peace, joy, and unconditional love. My dad spent much of his childhood at Matka’s table, and often recalls her famous dishes he shared with her (dishes that are now mainstays at the holidays). Her food became a symbol of the love she so freely gave – whether it was her pork chops with green beans and sauerkraut, Polish pierogies, golumpkis and nalesniki, or the dozens of Christmas cookies and Polish pastries she labored over. We still make Matka’s recipes during the holidays as a way to continue her legacy.
As we reflect on her life, what we respect the most is her incredible grit and tenacity. Matka was a revered woman of great dignity with a willingness to sacrifice for those she loved and stand up for those who were not always represented. The namesake of our vodka dates back centuries in the Polish language, but to us, the word evokes memories of a woman who knew how to love in the midst of hardship, work hard for her family and community, and leave a legacy that extended beyond her own life.
From our family to yours, let’s raise a glass to those who came before us, and like Matka, lend a hand to those on their way.
Na Zdrowie!
