Mayor Liske chats with Michael D. Mendez, Southeast Michigan Regional Director for the Governor of Michigan, while City Administrator Greg Stewart talks with Journalist Dean Cousino of the Monroe News on September 9, 2009.
I was born on Toledo's northside when my parents lived in the Polish neighborhood. When I was just 4 years old, my parents paid $4.000.00 for a small cottage in Luna Pier. I worked during the summers at Toledo Beach doing everything from washing dishes to running the kiddie rides. One of my favorite jobs was flagging in the helicopter that provided rides to paying customers, especially when, at the end of the day, the pilot would take me for a free ride. We spent our summers here until my 9th summer. In 1971 we moved out to Luna Pier as full time residents. My father, John Wojtowicz, loved to fish, which is really is what motivated the permanent move.
I graduated from Mason Consolidated School in January 1980 at the age of 17. I went directly to the University of Toledo to enter their nursing program. The first few years I both worked and went to school part time. Finally in January 1985 I graduated with an Associates Degree in Nursing. Having married Michael Winckowski in August of 1985, just 2 weeks after my graduation from nursing school we found out we were expecting our first child. Caleb was born August 18th, 1986.
We moved to Siloam Spring, Arkansas, in 1988 while my husband Michael worked towards his Bachelors degree in Church Ministries from John Brown University. There, I worked at the 45 bed city hospital as the 3:00 -11:00 Medical Surgical charge nurse for 3-1/2 years. It was April 1990, after I gave birth to my second son, Johnathan David, that the nurses in Labor & Delivery convinced me to move to their department. I worked another 1-1/2 years in Labor & Delivery.
We moved back to Luna Pier in July of 1993 and I took a job at Parkview hospital in Labor & Delivery. That is when my life started to unravel. Within just a time span of just 6 weeks I contracted meningitis, lost my mom to ovarian cancer, separated from my husband, and was told Parkview was closing. There were about 3 dark years where I struggled to recover from all the grief, while at the same time, earned my teaching certificate. I took a job at Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio in August 1994, hired the Friday before school started. Having never really taught professionally I nearly walked out the door that first day. The Masonry Instructor came into my lab and yelled to some other instructors, "Hey you guys come look ... she's awake! That's more than Jane did all day!" I thought if staying awake made me better than the last teacher, maybe I could do this! After adjusting to the adolescent culture, I realized I had found my calling. I have also worked at Toledo Hospital per diem, and taught for an agency to train state tested nurse aides during summers, but I love teaching. I must admit teaching teenage girls has taken some getting used to! Having raised 2 boys I couldn't believe the difference. I had always wanted a girl, but by the end of that first school year all I wanted was no more kids! Still, all my girls have a deep respect for me and after 14 years I have learned to live up to their expectations, and love them very much.
On October 21, 2004 I married Dave Liske. We have 6 children between us; Caleb Winckowski, the old-pro fisherman (22), Aaron Liske (19), Lcpl Johnathan Winckowski, USMC (19), Adam Liske (16), Briahna Liske (14, a rose among thorns!), and the budding fisherman, Ryan Liske (12). Having a blended family takes time and patience, but it is finally happening. My husband Dave is a self proclaimed computer geek, having been a Microsoft MVP for many years. In his spare time he loves to cook, to write about cooking and talk about cooking to anyone who will listen. He also works with his best friend, Chef Tad Cousino, managing the Frog Leg Inn web site and anything else Chef Tad can drag him into, such as "Taste of the Nation: Toledo".
My son John is a U.S. Marine. His recruiter told us John was an Alpha recruit, because he scored so high on the ASVAB test and had a clean criminal record. He also traveled to China in July 2007 with People-to-People as an ambassador. I am super proud of him!
I am content with my life. We have a solid family, a super group of friends and have found happiness somewhere in between having too little or too much.
