I saw the sign in the window of the barber shop on the way to work yesterday morning, but couldn't read it. I was late and just kept going, knowing I would be back that way late in the day and would stop in to get my hair cut and get a bit of news. But when I arrived, the shop was dark and I stopped to read the sign. It noted the passing of Mitchell “Mitch” Ciesak over the weekend.
I do not like haircuts, tolerating them as a necessity rather than as something I like to get. I get the least amount possible. I feel the same way about shaving which is why I have had a beard for 27 years (except for one week, but I will tell you about that another time.) I had been getting my haircut by Mitch for about 27 years. Not every time but I could count the number of times someone else did it in those 27 years on two hands and one time it was my son’s girlfriend doing a trim before we went on a cruise.
His obituary said in part that “His wife of 59 years, Ruth F. (Sullivan) Cieslak died in 2007. He was born and grew up in Warren, son of the late Jacob and Alexsandra (Wierzbowski) Cieslak and lived there until moving to West Brookfield in 2002. He graduated from the former Warren High School. Mr. Cieslak owned and operated Mitch's Barber Shop in Warren for more than 54 years until becoming ill recently.” But here is what it didn’t say.
His shop reminded me of the stereotypic barber shop, like the one in the Andy Griffith Show, with Floyd, the barber. Barber pole outside, warm shaving cream dispenser inside. Used to have the leather strap to hone the straight edge razor he had too. No, Mitch didn’t look like Floyd, but Mitch’s shop was a center of universe in the little town of Warren. Mitch was friendly, funny, and a gentleman, but not someone afraid to have an opinion and say it. He had his run-ins with local politicians but everyone was always welcome in his shop. Many times there would be 3-4 people sitting in his chairs, not to read the old magazines or comics, not to get a haircut even, but to just be there to chat about what was going on in town or in the state or even the universe. It was there I learned that the one big town business was in trouble and being sold. There, where I learned that the builder of the first condo units in the town was accused of using shoddy materials and practices and that there would be trouble for him down the line. There where I heard all about the local political dirt.
I took CollegeBoy there to get his first haircut when he was 3 or 4 years old because that is what fathers do. Mitch treated him like he was one of the boys and he got a lollypop at the end. Not some simple piece of candy but a real tootsie pop.
One favorite story of mine is that there was a blind man who lived across the street from the barber shop and he ended up in one of the chairs holding court with Mitch very often. One day CB was with me to get a haircut and this gentleman, being the very friendly sort, was talking to him as I got my hair cut. He kept asking CB questions which he responded to with a shake of his head. "Do you like soccer?" he asked. CB shakes head yes. The man patiently told him he was blind and could not hear him shake his head. We all laughed and CB began answering with a somewhat meek, one word answer to his questions. But I think we all learned something that day.
The obit mentions his wife who passed away 3 years ago. It didn’t mention that she had ALS or that Mitch took care of her almost to the end of her life, until he could not manage the physical things she needed to have done. He was almost 80 at the time. He never said a bad word about her either, although he did say one time that the secret to their marriage was separate vacations. He liked golf and antiquing. She liked something else and so they did their own things for a few days or a week each year.
The obit says he was born in Warren and moved to West Brookfield in 2002. It doesn’t say that you could almost hit both of his homes with a stone from where his shop was. He lived his entire life in a circle, probably not more than mile or two wide. He also was the town barber for 54 years. He dabbled in real estate, antiques, local politics and town news. So basically he lived and worked in this circle and had a full wonderful life that he enjoyed. He did not get cheated and he will be missed.
I got my haircut yesterday by a different barber in a different town. He did a nice job. Same haircut and beard trim, but somehow, not the same.
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