War Memorial serves as special place for several generations of local family

From generation to generation in the Kish family, The War Memorial has been a special place.

Amy Kish’s parents, Jack and Audrey Leverenz, met at a War Memorial dance in March 1955, were engaged six months later and married in January 1956.

This year, as part of our 75th anniversary, The War Memorial will share stories from the public about the impact and experiences they have had at the nonprofit organization.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” Amy said. “My mom was a nurse and lived with other nurses in Detroit. They decided they were going to go to a singles dance. They got there and there was a group of boys they were chatting with. One of the boys happened to be my dad and he asked one of my mom’s friends to dance.”

As Audrey tells the story of how she and Jack met, she pushed the girl to the side, so she could dance with him.

“And he said ‘sure, I’d love to dance,’” Amy said. “So, they danced. The girls came to the dance on a bus, so they were worried that the boys would see them leave on a bus, so they snuck out of the dance early and my dad came running out, asking my mom what her phone number was.”

After sharing her number and thinking that Jack wouldn’t remember it, sure enough, he called her the following day.

Jack Leverenz, who graduated from Grosse Pointe High School, passed away in 1999 at age 70. Audrey is now 92 and splits her time between Grosse Pointe Park and Florida.

Growing up, Amy remembers coming to The War Memorial, along with her siblings John, Suzy, and Sally, to paint eggs around Easter time. In middle school and high school, they attended several dances at The War Memorial, as well as Battle of the Bands.

“The War Memorial has always been a staple in the community,” Amy said. “It’s a formal and nice place. We were always appreciative of getting to go there. Any dances that were there were a special occasion. It was a special place in the family.”

In March 1991, Amy and her husband Ken had their rehearsal dinner in the Alger House.

“My in-laws and their family were from Pittsburgh, so everyone from that side of the family was in awe of it,” she said about having the dinner at The War Memorial. “When you grow up with it, you kind of take things for granted in Grosse Pointe.”

The Kish’s children — Robby, Richie, and Katie — also grew up attending special events at The War Memorial.

“My daughter has two young children, so I’m excited now to start the fourth generation of going to programs there with our grandkids,” Amy said.

Interested in sharing your War Memorial story? Visit our 75th anniversary page on our website to share your personal experiences with us, or email Communications and Marketing Manager Alex Szwarc.