The younger generation probably doesn’t remember him anymore, but mine or even the later ones have his voice in their heads. I often come across opinions like: “Oh, no one has created an atmosphere like Ciszewski yet.” And they remember: and this is Wembley, and this is the football World Cup, and this is the Olympic Games. He was lucky to arrive at such an important period in the history of our sport. And that he knew how to take advantage of it.
Dad knew different disciplines, mainly football and speedway. Colleagues called him “professor”. It is entirely possible that after his career as a commentator ends, he will educate the next generation of journalists. Perhaps he would find his apprentice himself. In a sense, Mr. Szpakowski became his successor. There was even a game later when he introduced himself as Dariusz Ciszewski.
He enjoyed his grandchildren for a while
What’s the first thing that comes to mind about dad? He was a good guy with a great sense of humor. The joke was quite situational. That’s where some of the statements during the comments came from, like “everything in the horse’s hands.”
What did it teach me? Responsibility, cheerful approach to life, love of culture and art. We liked going to the cinema together. I also inherited the way I drive the car from him. My husband Andrzej always says that I have a heavy foot from my father (laughs).
My mom Leonarda was my dad’s first wife. They separated when I was 13. Later my mother remarried a sailor and left for Danzig. At that time, my beloved grandparents Ciszewski and my father’s sister, Aunt Zosia, looked after me. When I was in high school, my father had an affair with Mrs. Ania, who became his second wife, and we lived together in Katowice. I still have good contact with her to this day.
Because of his profession, dad often went to Warsaw at that time, and then moved there completely. Contrary to various strange stories, we have kept in touch with my father. We had a close relationship until the end of his life.
Dad had a short time with his grandchildren, Ania and Ola. He was 52 when he died. In the meantime, he has married Krystyna for the third time and his daughter from this union is about my daughters’ age. I haven’t seen my stepsister since my father’s funeral when she was 6 years old. A shame.
Dad was thrilled. He was very emotional. And loving. Three wives and a few other acquaintances in between. You understand…
On languages
So many things have been written about my father… Some were exaggerated. And who knows his story better than his eldest daughter?
He made a gesture, that’s a fact. Was he dissolute? Maybe a little, because the two are related to each other. I knew that when Dad returned from a trip abroad, he would always bring something nice. And that will always hit the taste. He was very knowledgeable about women’s fashion, so his gifts from abroad were always perfect. For example, jeans, nice shoes or a jacket. He also brought perfumes. Typically, things that were only available for purchase in Peweks. But did he borrow money from others? I don’t know anymore, but I realize there were various rumours.
In articles about my father it was often mentioned that he was a gambler. It’s true? It depends on what is meant by that word. The fact that he loved horses, because he himself commented on their races in Służewiec, was no secret. And that he himself also bet on them. But I don’t know how much he consumed it. He has caused no harm to the family. It is known that the player is immediately associated with someone who will bet on the last shirt or take something from the house. It wasn’t with my father.
Other interests? Painting was her hobby. She had many beautiful paintings, both in his apartments in Katowice and in Warsaw. Usually they were Dutch school painters, there were also works by Józef Chełmoński, Fałat, Wyczółkowski, Cybis, Urbanowicz and other well-known Polish painters. We also received a beautiful painting by Wojciech Kossak as a wedding present.
He was also fond of music, he had a huge collection of records at home, mostly hits by Frank Sinatra. He also went to the opera. Thanks to this, a close acquaintance with the singer Wiesław Ochman arose. When it comes to famous people, my father was friends with Wojciech Gąsowski, Ryszard Dyja, Tadeusz Janik and Włodek Lubański. Then I continued this relationship and when my husband was at his post in Brussels, Mr. and Mrs. Lubański invited us to visit them.
Dad was very fond of good food, he was a connoisseur of various dishes. It probably stemmed from the fact that my father’s parents ran an open house, which was notable for good food. The goose was always king with him. When we went to Warsaw, we sometimes stopped on the way in Siewierz, because there was a famous restaurant where goose dishes were served. At the Orbis Silesia hotel, the chef was Mr. Stanisław, who always prepared something special for my father.
Alcohol? If anything white or red wine, depending on what was served with the food. He also liked whiskey. She said that “Jasio wędrowniczek” came from him (laughs).
It is to the Orbis Silesia hotel that I associate a certain anecdote. It was New Year’s Eve. I was already 18, so I could participate in such a game. At one point I lost sight of my father, and after a while someone started singing Frank Sinatra’s “The Shadow of Your Smile” into the microphone. I look at the stage and this is my father. Nice moment.
The shadow of her smile
Dad also had a great sense of rhythm. He danced perfectly. It didn’t even matter to him that his right leg was shorter. He had no complexes about it. He didn’t complain about it. He didn’t even stammer about it. He had distanced himself from it, as from many other things.
When he still lived here, he was a healthy young man, so he never complained about anything. I never heard my dad say he wasn’t feeling well or that there was something wrong with him. When he had a cold, he would just say, ‘Remember, I have a match at the stadium in three hours and I need to be healthy.’ And tea with lemon or honey was on the go. He half an hour nap and was ready to go.
My father was really afraid of doctors. He never thought he was sick. He didn’t do much research. After detecting that his blood sugar level was too high, he already knew that he had to undergo a thorough examination. But before? Never.
The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver. He was hospitalized in early November 1982 after suffering a gallbladder attack. A few days before his death, I went to see him with his sister Zofia in the hospital. After the operation, he was in good shape. There was no indication that anything bad could happen. He was talking to us normally. Then he fell into a diabetic coma and died soon after.
He didn’t think he could die so soon. He’s been an optimist all his life, so he approached his stay in the hospital on the principle that he would have surgery and return to normal life. He kept saying everything was going to work out, and that at the very least he should give in a little and save up or retire early. However, he still had a lot of life ahead of him.
Dad left unexpectedly. It was a big blow. Even now, 40 years later, when I hear his voice on TV, my stomach churns. My daughters and even grandchildren Alan and Laura react the same way.
Dariusz Dobek listened
