Histories

James (Vaclav) Blecha

(As Recalled by Randolph Blecha)

Randolph (Randy) Blecha is the son of Rudolph Blecha (1909-2002) and grandson of Frank Blecha (1883-1960).  This Frank was the brother to James Blecha (1894-1947).

James Blecha was a milkman in Chicago.  He worked for the dairy that was owned by Annastazie Somer Blecha, his mother.  Randy recalled hearing stories about “Uncle Potsy”.  Potsy was the nickname that James went by for much of his life.  Randy remembered hearing how Uncle Potsy had acquired an old horse to pull their milk wagon.  The horse had been a retired fire horse that had pulled hose-carts for the firemen in the city of Chicago.  Once, when Uncle Potsy was out delivering milk with this horse pulling the milk trailer, a fire siren was heard in the city.  Upon hearing the siren, the horse bolted forward and went running down the streets of Chicago as it had done in the years that it worked following fires.