Hello, my name is John Lepkowicz. I was born in Mexico. I’m the oldest of three.  My siblings live outside of Chicago while I live in St. Louis.  I have 4 kids.  Two are in their 20s and live in Texas and I have two others with my current wife. How my parents met, based on the various versions I have heard from my mom.  Well, my mom was taking an English class at the time, and students would practice their English by writing with a pen pal.  My mom, at the time, was in her thirties so it would be hard for her to marry someone in Mexico because of her age. 

My dad, after serving in World War II, was up there in age.  She wrote to him and eventually invited him to visit Mexico. He did end up going to Mexico to meet her.  From there, they married and had a family. When my father passed from pancreatic cancer, I was 10. My mom had to raise 3 kids on her own. Most of the family from my dad’s side turned their backs on us because they did not approve of him marrying a Mexican woman rather than a Polish woman. My mom had to make ends meet with the 3 social security checks she received because of the 3 kids. My mom would get handouts from various organizations to help us. I remember as kids we would go to Loyola University dental school for dental work because it was cheaper for my mom than going to a certified dentist. As we got older and hit the age of 18, the check would go away and it required more penny-pinching. To make up the difference, my mom rented. Our house had a 1 bedroom apartment connected to the house. It had a large living room, kitchen, bathroom and access.

I ditched a lot while in high school. It wasn’t until my junior year when I took a Wordstar computer class that got my interest. I knew I wanted to get into computer science. When I graduated high school, I attended a community college. My degree had a bulk in math with some computer classes. After one year of college, I entered the military. I served 4 years in the U.S. Navy. It was my first time away from home, and to see the world. I will always cherish the memories that I have from my time in. That sacrifice allowed me to go to college for free with the help of the GI Bill and the IL Veterans Grant. I graduated from IL State University with a degree in Applied Computer Science and landed a job as a mainframe computer programmer with a consulting firm in Chicago. While working there, I was in the Navy Reserves. I was sent away for 2 weeks to Italy and extended another month and let my employer know. When I returned I was laid off. So, I decided to go “active duty” and was sent to Italy again. I did 4 years there and then lived in London for 3 before being assigned to a ship in Norfolk, VA for almost 5 years. After completing my tour onboard the USS Elrod, I returned to Italy to complete my 20 years of military service and retired.

When I lived in Europe I had an attack of sciatica. It was hard for me to walk, to do my job, and to go through physical therapy to try and do a simple task of touching my toes. After months of physical therapy and no improvement, the last option was surgery. I remember talking with the surgeon and telling him my back would loosen up whenever I ran and I wouldn’t feel any pain. He suggested that I start running again. It would be painful at first but to stick with it. To see a grown man cry from just trying to run was a sight. That was in 2005. I haven’t had any issues with my back since.

I found during my living abroad allowed me to gain the full pleasure of the culture was to live among the people in that country. That is what I did while in Italy and in London. I learned and appreciated the experience of the local cuisine. Talking with neighbors. Also, to learn to drive just like them.

Owning my own home, I have had to learn to tend to any issues that come with home ownership. In the state of Missouri, clay is everywhere. There is an inch of dirt and beneath that is clay. I hate clay but I have to work with what I have. The other gripe I had was zoysia grass. It is so aggressive that it grows into anything. I had to remove that grass and replace it with Kentucky Bluegrass. I have applied that focus into other areas such as baking, gardening, and any other repairs.

Finally, I’ve always been a runner. I’ve never been on the track team. I used my running to help me escape from the truant officers in high school. I’ve run a handful of marathons in Europe. My most memorable is the actual Athens marathon. I’ll always consider that the most memorable because it started it all and why there are various marathons. The story of Pheidippides started it all and I supposedly ran the course he had run.

I never imagined I’d be living in Missouri but I am glad that I am.  I have a full-time job, a real estate investor with 4 rental properties that bring me in some extra money.  Now I am interested in doing blogging. I don’t know what will happen but I am anxious to see where it goes. I have learned that there are 3 ways to learn:  from life, reading, and observing or listening to others.  The idea is to collaborate with others to learn something along the way.  I have enjoyed writing.  Nothing professional, but I do enjoy journaling. This, in a way, is my online version of journaling for others and myself to read.