Lieskes son Jo (07/09/1939)

Jo Schneider remembers Grandpa Stokbroekx.

Grandpa Stokbroekx lived in with Auntie Iet en Uncle Sjeng in 1944 on  Proosdijweg, in the front room over the bicycle store, together with Lieske, her husband Jo and their two children Annie and Joke. Auntie Iet had taken care of that and Uncle Sjeng agreed with the arrangements.
At one time Grandpa made me and Annie fetch brown ale in an old ewer from café Duchateau which was right on the corner

It war wartime. We lived right next to the entrance of an air-raid shelter and together with many people from the neighborhood we would run for shelter after the sounding of the air-raid alarm. The Gilissen family (o.a. Michel) would provide entertainment. I still remember the song “my hat had four dents”. Sometimes we would take shelter, together with the neighbors across the street (family Brands), in the basement under the bicycle store. Uncle Sjeng had covered the ground with straw.
I was 5 at the time and Grandpa and I often played a game called “toethoale”. I would empty out his trouser pocket which always contained: handkerchief, wallet and a virgin Mary statuette, hidden in a metal cylinder.

Oh, what fun I've had with Grandpa. Once we lost the little statue and of course the following prayer was heard: Holy Antonius, dear friend, make me find the statue back.
Hours later we found it behind the green glass foot of the "quizenjaer" . Much later I understood why we could be happy again. He was so careful with it. Careful not to lose it.

Grandpa Stokbroekx had complained more often of pain in his arm. “iech hub pien aon mienen errem”. On that certain day I had my first communion. Look at the photo, how well dressed I was. Grandpa was dying and said: “Joke, I'll wait till you get back from church”. I will never forget it: if he said “congrats” or something, he had waited for me and then closed his eyes.