This is a photograph from Lithuania in about 1943 of my first cousin twice removed Steponas Radauskas (1899-1944), his wife Bronislova "Bronė" Skačkauskaitė Radauskienė (1905-1961), his son Petras Radauskas (1937-2004), and his daughter Aldona Radauskaitė Zigmantavičienė (born 1934). They also had a son Antanas, who was born about 1934 and died about 1935 (perhaps a twin to Aldona?).
Steponas Radauskas was born February 14, 1899, the tenth of the twelve children of Ignatijus Radauskas (ABT 1858-1913) and Agota Guokaitė Radauskienė (1861-1942, my great-grandfather Charles Guokas' sister) from the village Gikoniai in the Rozalimas parish. He married Bronislava Skačkauskaitė January 29, 1929, in Šeduva, in the Radviliskis district municipality in Lithuania.
My third cousin Osvaldas Guokas tells the following story about Steponas. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, Steponas Radauskas was a seniūnas - village elder. He was friendly with all in the village and always informed them when Nazis were coming for "contributions." One person from Gikoniai remembers that when Steponas warned them, this person quickly tried to catch a hen in the yard and hide. But the Nazi soldier came during this action. He remember that Steponas Radauskas said some words to the soldier in German, and there was no problem.
My third cousin Osvaldas Guokas tells the following story about Steponas. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, Steponas Radauskas was a seniūnas - village elder. He was friendly with all in the village and always informed them when Nazis were coming for "contributions." One person from Gikoniai remembers that when Steponas warned them, this person quickly tried to catch a hen in the yard and hide. But the Nazi soldier came during this action. He remember that Steponas Radauskas said some words to the soldier in German, and there was no problem.
According to Osvaldas, Steponas Radauskas found a Russian grenade lost in the fields near the end of World War II. He tried to detonate it in the nearby river Daugyvenė. But something went wrong. People from the nearby village of Gikoniai heard an explosion and when they found Steponas, he was dead from very serious injuries in the belly area.
Steponas, Brone, and Antanas are all buried in the Rozalimas cemetery.
The photo in this post came from the private album of Aldona Radauskaitė Zigmantavičienė, the daughter of Steponas Radauskas and the little girl in the photo above. Thank you Aldona! Thanks also to Osvaldas Guokas, who has been sharing all these photographs and information with me!
© Amanda Pape - 2017 - click here to e-mail me.
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