OurGrandparents.com - In Memory
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In Loving Memory of Anthony Kolenda (1962-1984)
Personal Biography for: Anthony John Kolenda
Written By: Frances Marie (Tobinas) Kolenda, Mother;
Edited & Compiled by Angela Jean (Kolenda) Delong, Niece
Date Written: September 2005
Last Updated: December 2005
Anthony Kolenda aka “Yosh” was born on Tuesday, June 13, 1961 at Montgomery Hospital,
Norristown, PA. He was baptized on Saturday, July 2, 1961 at 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s
Church in Conshohocken, PA. Yosh fended for himself from day one. He was able to handle
“flip-flops” by age 2, and was the first to appreciate the inflatable swim rings. He was
paddling a boat by himself (close to shore and within sight) in Canada by age 8.
Anthony received his First Holy Communion on May 3, 1970, while in 3rd grade and
confirmation in the 4th grade on March 11, 1971, both at St. Mary’s School. Anthony
graduated from St. Mary’s School (8th grade) on June 8, 1975. He attended Plymouth Junior
High School for 9th grade, then graduated from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School on June
19, 1979. He attended Tech School his senior year with Mr. Jeffries.
At age 9, Anthony delivered the Times Herald (Norristown/Montgomery County newspaper),
taking over older brother Tom’s brief stink as delivery boy. He and his buddy Ty Borkowski
kept the route for about five years (1970 to 1975). He and Ty seemed to have the same type
of wit – they made some fun tapes together. Yosh and Ty were always out and about, and
sometimes took trips with Ty’s father. From 1976 to 1977 Yosh worked for Simpson Paper
Company Miquon. From 1979 to 1982, Yosh worked for Robert Jefferies Company
(apartment maintenance and home building).
In 1983 Yosh married Lisa DiRico, who had just moved from Conshohocken to East
Norristown. They had two daughters, Melissa (1983) and Christine (1984).
In 1982, Yosh worked for Alan R. Lieberman, partner in Real Associates, with a friend,
Bobby Pizzico. After little more than a year (December 7, 1984), Yosh suffered a fatal
accident on the job, leaving behind a wife of a brief almost two years (Lisa DiRico Kolenda),
one-year-old Melissa, and baby Christine.
Ty and “Mrs. Ty” (Donna) remembered Yosh’s girls every Christmas faithfully, with gifts
and bonds until they reached adulthood (themselves with four young children).
His oldest daughter, Melissa, named her first child Anthony after her father.
Written By: Frances Marie (Tobinas) Kolenda, Mother;
Edited & Compiled by Angela Jean (Kolenda) Delong, Niece
Date Written: September 2005
Last Updated: December 2005
Anthony Kolenda aka “Yosh” was born on Tuesday, June 13, 1961 at Montgomery Hospital,
Norristown, PA. He was baptized on Saturday, July 2, 1961 at 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s
Church in Conshohocken, PA. Yosh fended for himself from day one. He was able to handle
“flip-flops” by age 2, and was the first to appreciate the inflatable swim rings. He was
paddling a boat by himself (close to shore and within sight) in Canada by age 8.
Anthony received his First Holy Communion on May 3, 1970, while in 3rd grade and
confirmation in the 4th grade on March 11, 1971, both at St. Mary’s School. Anthony
graduated from St. Mary’s School (8th grade) on June 8, 1975. He attended Plymouth Junior
High School for 9th grade, then graduated from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School on June
19, 1979. He attended Tech School his senior year with Mr. Jeffries.
At age 9, Anthony delivered the Times Herald (Norristown/Montgomery County newspaper),
taking over older brother Tom’s brief stink as delivery boy. He and his buddy Ty Borkowski
kept the route for about five years (1970 to 1975). He and Ty seemed to have the same type
of wit – they made some fun tapes together. Yosh and Ty were always out and about, and
sometimes took trips with Ty’s father. From 1976 to 1977 Yosh worked for Simpson Paper
Company Miquon. From 1979 to 1982, Yosh worked for Robert Jefferies Company
(apartment maintenance and home building).
In 1983 Yosh married Lisa DiRico, who had just moved from Conshohocken to East
Norristown. They had two daughters, Melissa (1983) and Christine (1984).
In 1982, Yosh worked for Alan R. Lieberman, partner in Real Associates, with a friend,
Bobby Pizzico. After little more than a year (December 7, 1984), Yosh suffered a fatal
accident on the job, leaving behind a wife of a brief almost two years (Lisa DiRico Kolenda),
one-year-old Melissa, and baby Christine.
Ty and “Mrs. Ty” (Donna) remembered Yosh’s girls every Christmas faithfully, with gifts
and bonds until they reached adulthood (themselves with four young children).
His oldest daughter, Melissa, named her first child Anthony after her father.
Special Memories from Yosh’s Family:
Kathy (Kolenda) Jimenez, Sister:
My last clear memory of Yosh - I could be wrong but I thought they were hunting that last
Saturday before he died, in Shenandoah - of course it could have been a few weeks before.
Anyway, we were in the basement by the back door, he was all proud because he got a deer
that year and he gave me a bag of candy cigs from Waylan's, you know, in the little brown
paper bag. Yes, I was 19 and still got goodie bags from Waylie's. I still had a few left after
he died and I kept them for years, in fact I may still have them stashed away somewhere!
A cute story about him and Melissa is that her first 3 words were "Daddy", "pretty", and
"birdie".(and she kind of rolled the R in birdie) So one year in Canada (the green cabin), it
was early and she was the first one up. Yosh was trying to teach her her first full sentence...
"Daddy is a pretty birrrrdie". I guess you had to be there!
Carol (Kolenda) Beitz, Sister:
Ask Gramma about the "Whoooosh" he used to do; ask her about the time she rang his
fingers through the ringer on the washing machine; ask her about Margie's golf swing!
Those are some of her favorite stories and she loves to talk about them.
Tom has a very clear picture of where they went (French Creek) and what they did the last
day they were together (The Saturday before the Friday he died). Ask him about the day
Yosh got married.
I remember my brother as quiet and calm; stealth-like. He had a sense of humor like
Grampa; if you weren't paying attention you might miss it. He was funny in a quiet sort of
way. He and Tom were the original inventors of "frog bonking" whereby they'd go out in a
wooden rowboat in the mucky muck between the green cabin and the homestead's dock and
sneak up on frogs very quietly. They would maneuver the boat with one paddle through the
thick green algae in about 3 feet of water, pushing off the bottom. When they'd spot a big
ole’ bull frog, they'd swat it with the paddle end of the oar. They discovered that this stuns
the frogs long enough to pick them up and do whatever (dissect, torture, fish with them)
before the frog wakes back up. (YES; they are graduates of Uncle Vinnie's School of
Torture and Other Necessary Life Skills.)
He was a loner and liked to go off by himself; in Canada or elsewhere. Grammom can still
see him clearly out the window of the green cabin, rowing around by himself for hours that
year he first mastered rowing...and probably each year he ventured further and further.
Thomas Kolenda, Brother:
Tom remembers Yosh and Lisa’s wedding, and how they went trout fishing the morning-of!
Pop (Joseph Kolenda, Sr.) was yelling that they had to get going, but Yosh wanted to catch
his limit!
Angela (Kolenda) DeLong, Niece:
I was unfortunately too young to remember Uncle Yosh too much, though I do have a few
distinct memories of him. Like when he and (a very pregnant Aunt Lisa) came to the rescue
when Grandmom and Grandpop hit the deer on the way to Green Tree. I was about five,
and they sent me up to the cabin with him and Aunt Lisa. And him coming to the rescue one
year after returning from Canada when no one had a set of house keys! Don't know why,
but I remember him climbing through the basement window because he was the skinny one!!!
That's always the first image I have of him!
How about the "Rolly polly, scrambled eggs for breakfast, rolly polly, jelly bread - 20 times
a day"? And the Outhouse Open up at the Green Cabin in Canada. They stuck a tin can in
a hole in the ground and would take turns naming where they’d tee off from. Various
obstacles like the cabin and the outhouse made it quite interesting! Oh, and I do remember
Uncle Yosh and Aunt Lisa's wedding, and how I was scared to walk down the isle by myself!
Kathy (Kolenda) Jimenez, Sister:
My last clear memory of Yosh - I could be wrong but I thought they were hunting that last
Saturday before he died, in Shenandoah - of course it could have been a few weeks before.
Anyway, we were in the basement by the back door, he was all proud because he got a deer
that year and he gave me a bag of candy cigs from Waylan's, you know, in the little brown
paper bag. Yes, I was 19 and still got goodie bags from Waylie's. I still had a few left after
he died and I kept them for years, in fact I may still have them stashed away somewhere!
A cute story about him and Melissa is that her first 3 words were "Daddy", "pretty", and
"birdie".(and she kind of rolled the R in birdie) So one year in Canada (the green cabin), it
was early and she was the first one up. Yosh was trying to teach her her first full sentence...
"Daddy is a pretty birrrrdie". I guess you had to be there!
Carol (Kolenda) Beitz, Sister:
Ask Gramma about the "Whoooosh" he used to do; ask her about the time she rang his
fingers through the ringer on the washing machine; ask her about Margie's golf swing!
Those are some of her favorite stories and she loves to talk about them.
Tom has a very clear picture of where they went (French Creek) and what they did the last
day they were together (The Saturday before the Friday he died). Ask him about the day
Yosh got married.
I remember my brother as quiet and calm; stealth-like. He had a sense of humor like
Grampa; if you weren't paying attention you might miss it. He was funny in a quiet sort of
way. He and Tom were the original inventors of "frog bonking" whereby they'd go out in a
wooden rowboat in the mucky muck between the green cabin and the homestead's dock and
sneak up on frogs very quietly. They would maneuver the boat with one paddle through the
thick green algae in about 3 feet of water, pushing off the bottom. When they'd spot a big
ole’ bull frog, they'd swat it with the paddle end of the oar. They discovered that this stuns
the frogs long enough to pick them up and do whatever (dissect, torture, fish with them)
before the frog wakes back up. (YES; they are graduates of Uncle Vinnie's School of
Torture and Other Necessary Life Skills.)
He was a loner and liked to go off by himself; in Canada or elsewhere. Grammom can still
see him clearly out the window of the green cabin, rowing around by himself for hours that
year he first mastered rowing...and probably each year he ventured further and further.
Thomas Kolenda, Brother:
Tom remembers Yosh and Lisa’s wedding, and how they went trout fishing the morning-of!
Pop (Joseph Kolenda, Sr.) was yelling that they had to get going, but Yosh wanted to catch
his limit!
Angela (Kolenda) DeLong, Niece:
I was unfortunately too young to remember Uncle Yosh too much, though I do have a few
distinct memories of him. Like when he and (a very pregnant Aunt Lisa) came to the rescue
when Grandmom and Grandpop hit the deer on the way to Green Tree. I was about five,
and they sent me up to the cabin with him and Aunt Lisa. And him coming to the rescue one
year after returning from Canada when no one had a set of house keys! Don't know why,
but I remember him climbing through the basement window because he was the skinny one!!!
That's always the first image I have of him!
How about the "Rolly polly, scrambled eggs for breakfast, rolly polly, jelly bread - 20 times
a day"? And the Outhouse Open up at the Green Cabin in Canada. They stuck a tin can in
a hole in the ground and would take turns naming where they’d tee off from. Various
obstacles like the cabin and the outhouse made it quite interesting! Oh, and I do remember
Uncle Yosh and Aunt Lisa's wedding, and how I was scared to walk down the isle by myself!