Albert "Al" G. Fetzko Obituary

Albert George Fetzko (Al)

Albert G. (Al), (Fuji) Fetzko, age 97, of Braselton, GA, formerly of Hammond, IN, passed away on Friday, June 27, 2025.

He was born on May 15, 1928 to Andrew & Suzanna Fetzko in Central City, PA.

Al is preceded in death by his wife Theresa “Tess” Fetzko and son Paul Fetzko.

He is survived by his children, Jane (Tom) Kresal and Mark (Carole) Fetzko, 6 Grandchildren: Anthony, Jennifer, Paul, Briana, Layne, Misty and 8 Great Grandchildren: Aeryana, Kaylynn, Willow, Kamden, Ravyn, Esten, Elisa, Everly.

The burial will be in Hammond, IN where he will be with his wife, son, parents, and several family and friends.

Al grew up and lived, all but 5 years, in Whiting and Hammond, IN. In the 5 recent years he lived in Braselton, GA with his daughter’s family.  The family consisted of Jane and her husband Tom and Al’s grandchildren Paul, Briana, Layne, and Misty and Great Grandchildren. My wish was that Al would have the chance to get to know Jane and Tom’s kids since we moved to Georgia in 2012 and that these kids would get to really know who their grandpa was and hear his stories.  This is the happiness we all shared.

He attended St. John the Baptist School and Church and graduated from George Rogers Clark High School in 1946.  While Al played some sports and was the fastest runner, he mostly loved driving.  He had a Chauffer’s License at 17, however, he did drive for 3 years prior delivering mail and running errands for neighbors and his uncle who owned a bar.  He would clean his uncle’s bar and was able to grab as much as he could in a handful from tips as his pay.  

Al served for the US Army in the Korean War. He helped to build the “Friendship Bridge” for prisoner exchanges. He was Honorably Discharged in Oct 1952 and married his girlfriend, Theresa “Tess” Gaverich on Feb. 14, 1953.

Al and Tess started a family and were very active with their 3 kids. Al coached Baseball for many years at Edison Ball Park in Hammond, he coached Basketball for St. John Bosco (SJB) School, he and Tess ran a Scout Pack and ran the Bingo at SJB for many years.  Al was a dedicated member at SJB for over 50 years as an Usher and mostly as a Lecture. He loved St. John Bosco.  Al was a Prayer Warrior, if you mentioned an ailment or down on luck, he would pray for you.  He said the Rosary every day to the end of his days and his prayer list he memorized. 

He has worked for Standard Oil, Sherman’s in Whiting IN where he designed kitchens, and Pullman Standard and ended up working for J&L Steel (later becoming LTV, ISG, Arcelor Mittal Steel and currently Cleveland Cliffs) as a Chemical Lab Technician. He retired at the age of 83 after 30 years of employment at the Steel Mill.

Al never considered anyone a stranger.  He could walk in a room and ask what your last name is or where you are from, and he would break into a history of both or either one.  He was a conversationalist.  One of the greatest attributes of Al was that he was a historian.  He knew a little bit about everything, and if not, he would raise the curiosity in others to do the research, thus learning the history.

He loved crossword puzzles and reading which is why his mind stayed sharp to the end.  We would work crossword puzzles often. When Al became blind, he turned to Talking Books.  We jokingly say that he may have read every Western Book created. He enjoyed being read to as well. Some of his recent favorite books were Times Capsule: The Times’ History of the Calumet Region During the 20th Century and The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe, and the Top 100 Classic Radio Shows.  He loved listening to old records and to Swing Music as that was the music Al & Tess danced to in their day, and what great dancers they were. 

I wish I would’ve written a book about his life; I would have called it “ …And Then There Was Al”.  Anyone who heard his stories of growing up and throughout his life would agree that he had an exciting childhood indeed.  He was 97 years old, you can imagine the things he has lived through and pulled through as a strong person, a thoughtful person with a huge heart and a man who had God on his side always. 

I absolutely loved the childhood our parents gave us.  The vacations to so many amusement parks, Indiana Beach, the Dunes, the Wisconsin Dells, we flew on airplanes to go to California to visit our Grandparents.  You supported each of us in sports and scouts, clubs and anything we were interested in.   We had a tree in the backyard and if you climbed up to the very top, called “the V” then you could engrave your initials in it.  My Dad would get a kick out of watching us do the climbing. So many good memories.  I loved my childhood, and I tried to raise our kids with the same morals.  We still sit at the table as a family every night for supper.  

You will be missed by so many people as you touched the hearts of many souls and prayed to release souls.  You are a part of history that no one will forget.

I picked up some Slovak from my Grandma Fetzko and my dad, so I end this with a blessing as my Dad usually would say   S Bohom, which translates to God be with you.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, July 28, 2025, directly at St. John Bosco Church, 7113 Columbia Ave., Hammond, IN. Friends may visit with the family at the church from 9:30 AM until time of Mass. Burial to follow at St. John St. Joseph Cemetery in Hammond, IN. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul: https://societyofstvincentdepauldistri.com/donate

 www.solanpruzinfuneralhome.com