Note: Documentation backs up these facts. Sorry if the truth offends anyone, it is part of our family history, warts and all..
Dad never talked about the 40s. Many of us have a dark period in our lives we would rather forget and, for the most part, the 40s were his.
The decade begins with 27 year-old, Leo still working at Western Electric, making a decent wage, having made $1,300 in 1939, according to the 1940 census. He does not have a place of his own and boards with his sister, Bernice’s in-laws at 907 North Keeler Avenue in Chicago.
Seemingly his luck changes when he meets a young lady about 10 years his junior. How and exactly when they met is a mystery. Leo lived in Chicago, she in Downers Grove. The distance in miles was not so great but it was a world of difference from city to country, factory worker to counter girl at a Walgreens. Leo Szczudlo and Margaret Sagen were married on September 6, 1941, beginning a tumultuous 6 years of married life and years of custody/visitation issues. Sometime between their marriage and June of 1942, Szczudlo became Studlo and sometime after that Margaret began calling Leo, Lee.
A short three months after their marriage the United States is drawn into WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We don’t know why Leo did not serve in the military during the war and I am not sorry for selfish reasons. What kind of exemption could he have had? Did he just not get drafted? Who knows?
However, apparently men in uniform were an attraction for Margaret. After nine months of marriage Margaret began receiving letters from servicemen. Not platonic letters either. Whether or not there was any unseemly activity, we will never know for sure. But some of the letters alluded to meetings between Margaret and suitor(s). It appears she told a couple of these men that she was going to divorce Leo.
Did Leo know what was going on at the time? Who knows? Their union did produce a son, my half- brother, Jack on January 7, 1945. At that time Leo, according to Jack’s Birth Certificate, was a tool and die maker at Western Electric, Co.
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There were a series of court dates prior to the final decree. On one such date, Margaret lied in under oath as to whether she received letters from solders. Leo produced a couple of those letters and Margaret was found in contempt of court and sentenced to 10 days in Cook County Jail. Custody of little 17 month old Jack was temporarily awarded to Leo.
On December 1, 1947, Leo and Margaret’s divorce was finalized after a very lengthy process. After the divorce Leo went to live with his sister Frances and her family according to Dolores Kozyra, Frances’ daughter.
A series of letters from Margaret discussing visitation time show that she was still trying to manipulate Leo.
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