Alex M. Olejko, 87, Former City of Lorain Mayor

He was born March 25, 1922 in Lorain and had been a lifelong Lorain area resident.

Kiki attended St. Stanislaus, Hawthorne and Lorain High Schools. During World War II, he worked for the Department of the Navy in Pearl Harbor for 4 years.

Kiki worked at US Steel for 38 years retiring in 1983. He became mayor of Lorain in 1984 serving until 1995. Prior to that he served as Ward 4 and Ward 5 councilperson and as council-at-large. He was appointed to the Lorain County Regional Airport Authority and resigned to serve as Lorain council president in 1983.

Kiki played minor league baseball for the Opelika Owls in Opelika, Alabama. He was a catcher and played against the likes of Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. Kiki knew each player personally and would exchange barbs with Musial about their Polish ethnicity. Kiki was a card-carrying member of the Professional Baseball Association. When he came back to Lorain, he continued playing baseball and fast-pitch softball into his 50’s. During the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner offered Mayor Olejko a professional contract to play baseball for his team for $100.00 more than he was making as mayor of Lorain.

He was a member of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Lorain and the church Holy Name Society, an inductee of the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame and a member of numerous clubs and organizations in the area.

One of Mayor Olejko’s favorite sayings was, “There are only three places to be, Heaven, Puerto Rico and Lorain, Ohio.” Now Kiki has visited all three.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years Helen “Scooter” Olejko (nee Kocak), children: Monica Olejko of Berea, William A. Olejko of Vermilion, Patti Tyburski (Bill) of Parma, Bonni Metelsky (Dan) of Amherst, Mary Alyce Woltman (Jim) of Lorain, Kat Varju (Julius, Jr.) of Lorain and Christopher Olejko (Lynette) of Lorain, 15 grandchildren, 1 great granddaughter, sisters Berniece Sadowski (Milton), Josephine Schneider (Elmer), Mary Poprock (Edward) and Stella James (Walter) all of Lorain and Helen Chmielewski of Parma. He was preceded in death by his parents Blazej and Stella Olejko (nee Ginalski), brothers Karol, Frank “Keen-Eye”, Joseph and John “Kiki” Olejko and sister Jennie Walend.

The family will receive friends Friday 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, 3224 Broadway Ave., Lorain where the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame will conduct a memorial service Friday at 6:30 p.m. and the St. Stanislaus Holy Name Society will recite the rosary Friday at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 9:15 a.m. in the funeral chapel followed by the mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, 2702 Elyria Ave., Lorain. The Rev. David A. Novak, administrator of St. Stanislaus, Rev. Daniel O. Divis, pastor of St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in Lorain and Rev. Kevin Shemuga, associate pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Strongsville, will concelebrate. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery in Lorain.

Memorial contributions can be made to Lorain Youth Baseball, PO Box 262, Lorain, OH. 44052.

Online condolences may be made at www.gluvna.net.