Uncle Ambrose Briscar Eulogy

For those of you who don’t know me I am Ed Yandura, Jr., son of Edward and Irma Yandura.

Aunt Irene was my mother’s sister and became my Godmother.

Ambrose Joseph Briscar was born in Lemont Furnace, PA on November 9, 1933. He was one of four children and had three sisters, Dianne, Dina and Betty Anne. He had numerous nieces and nephews. He attended St. Mary’s grade school and graduated from North Union High School in 1951.

He was an original founding member of the North Union Volunteer Fire Department in Lemont Furnace where he was made an honorary fireman. He helped find the location for and was responsible for helping to construct the building which would become the North Union Fire Dept meeting hall.

Uncle Ambrose met and later married Aunt Irene Rose Lucas of Lemont Furnace, PA in 1956.They moved to Cleveland, OH where he became a machinist. While living in Cleveland, the couple was blessed with two children, Andy and Jean Marie. Shortly after Jean Marie was born, they moved to a century home in Mantua, OH. They were further blessed with two grand children, Dylan James and Kaitlyn Rose whom they loved dearly.

You are likely aware of much of this family history, but we want to relate some of the rest of the story.

Some of us knew the man he became, but some were privileged to know him as a youngster or young adult. Even then he had a very giving nature.  His cousin, Richard, has shared several interesting stories including the following:

Uncle Ambrose taught him to swim at the Coolspring Reservoir and to roller skate at Shadowland Roller Rink. Uncle Ambrose was seven years older than him. Richard used to wait for him to return home from work so that they could squirt Redi Whip into each other’s mouths.

On one occasion, when Uncle Ambrose was driving from Cleveland to Lemont Furnace with three friends, Richard’s mom asked if Richard could tag along. All was fine until the group decided to stop for a restroom break. (This was pre-turnpike days, and the trip was lengthy through small towns and took several hours). Uncle Ambrose suddenly noted how quiet it was in the car and he asked,“Is Richard ok?”. They discovered that Richard had been left at the gas station. They made a hasty return to rescue him.

He bought Richard his first car, an old Studebaker, from a junk yard. The purchase price was $60.00. He had to do some work on it like replacing the pistons and rings but it ran for almost two years. It got 30 miles to the gallon… Richard loved the car even though he had to put oil in it every other day!  Uncle Ambrose loved to work on cars.

He worked as a machinist but also as a bus driver and would eventually retire from the Ohio Dept of Transportation. Uncle Ambrose was involved in politics and was elected to the Mantua Township board of trustees. He was instrumental in bringing streetlights to Mantua Township.

He was active in his church, St. Joes. He was an usher, helped with collections and assisted with weekly roller skating events. He took an active part in the annual Ox Roast at the church, as well.

Uncle Ambrose served his country in the Navy and was on board the SSS Sigourney, a destroyer, for a time during his deployment. He was a member of the American Legion, the Slovak Union of the United States and was a 4^th degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus. He also enjoyed flying planes and had his private pilot’s license.

He made a positive impact in whatever community he called home. He had the biggest impact on his family, his wife, his son and daughter, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Jean Marie remembers her dad as a man who could fix anything. She looked at him in awe for this ability. (She was also amazed at his ability to speak Slovak…. Until she discovered that he frequently added the the suffix Ovutz to various words,,, such as playovutz, workovutz, cleanovutz… So was he really fluent in speaking Slovak???  Andy recalled that he frequently spent time with his dad at the family picnic table and his dad told stories about his childhood to him and his friends.

Though he was involved in the community, his top priority was taking care of his family. He worked several jobs at a time to support them when life was rough. He passed his do- it -yourself spirit to his children and grandchildren.

He recently celebrated his 90^th birthday with friends, family and other Veterans at Mantua Catering, formerly the Knights of Columbus building. The hall was packed! It was an opportunity for us to show how much he meant to each of us. We thought of him not just as an uncle, but as a friend, mentor and for some a second father.

His union with Aunt Irene brought him into the Lucas family where we came to know and love him. Of the 13 Lucas siblings, Uncle Ambrose was the last surviving spouse of that generation.

He was the kind of person who believed that strangers were friends he had yet to meet. He eagerly spoke to people and expressed genuine interest in what they had to say and what was going on in their lives. He made you feel included and at ease. We will all miss him greatly. We will miss his sense of humor and will feel a sense of emptiness in our hearts that he previously filled.

We take comfort in knowing that he is now reunited with Aunt Irene in heaven.

Uncle Ambrose, please say hi to our loved ones in heaven and tell them we love them. Until we meet again…..

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