WENDOLOWSKI
Lewis and Olga Wendolowski started farming in Hatfield in 1945
Anthony “Tony” Wendolowski, who died Sept. 1, 2021, at age 73, spent most of his life in farming. He grew up helping his father, Lewis Sr., on the family farm. His father purchased farmland on Prospect St. in Hatfield in 1945. Lewis learned farming from his father, Joseph.
Tony worked full time as a machinist at Kollmorgen Corp., and farmed on the side, growing asparagus, onions, specialty peppers, beets, tobacco and several herbs on their 30 acres. In the mid- to late-2000s, Tony retired from his day job to start farming full time. His wife Helen kept the books and managed the staff, and his son Mark and other family members all helped. In 2018, Mark and Alicia started their own farm, the MA Wendolowski Farm, where they raise broadleaf tobacco, while Mark also runs his own plumbing, heating and solar services business. Alicia is the co-owner of the farm, and has been involved with the family farm since 1992, when she began picking peppers and other crops with Tony. She is an integral part of the farm; her hard work has enabled the farm to continue to the next generation. Mark and Alicia’s two children, Zane and Jay, have grown up working on the farm, and they represent the fifth generation to do so. |
MARK WENDOLOWSKI, interviewed by Kathie Gow 5/6/22.
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