Once upon a time Mary Kremper took her first steps onto American soil. It was a hot and humid August day. She paused as she stepped off the vessel in awe. New York was a sight to behold. The dust did not give a hint of the deep depression that would come to take America by suprise. Her seventeen year old vocabulary did not know a word of English. “Itt vagyok,” she whipered. I am here.
Mary had two dimes in her wool coat pocket. She kept them in her left pocket because she had a hole in her right pocket. She wondered the streets of New York for three days. It was overwhelming. She slept on the side of the store until the owner told her to get out or else she would call the orphanage. She only wanted to come to New York, like a rebellious teen running away, she did not have a plan.
That is when she was on a corner watching the people cross the street when Sandra was picking up her laundry. She noticed Mary on the corner. Sandra noticed something about Mary's stout figure. She returned with her bag and asked Mary if she had anywhere to go. Sandra asked her if she would like to come home with her. Mary did not have to think about it, she clutched Sandra's arm and off they went. Sandra offered Mary a job cooking in the kitchen. Sandra family enjoyed Mary's German Hungarian cooking.
Sandra adopted Mary into her family. Sandra’s family was known as the Hilton’s. They were of German Hungary descendants. Mary learned English easily. Sandra’s brother worked in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He knew of a Hungarian gardener that worked for him in Titusville. He told Sandra that he was a good gardener with talent. Sandra did not care about the green thumb, she wanted to introduce the two Hungarians. “We need to introduce Mary to Joseph,” Mary told her brother with the excitement.
Sandra invited Joseph over for dinner with her brother. Joseph Varanyak was born in the United States. However his family had moved back to Hungary when he was three. When he was seventeen he learned he was from America and he headed back to find his future. They introduced Mary and Joseph and it was instantaneous. Joseph had never seen simplicity and beauty as he saw under Mary’s navy felt hat held tightly with hatpins. She saw his hard working hands and memories of her father’s farm in Hungary flooded her day dreams. They only spoke in Hungarian. Talking English was fun, but talking in her tongue was natural. They arranged to be married three months later. Three seemed to be her lucky number.
One month after they were married they received a wonderful gift from Joseph’s boss. Conrad Hilton purchased Joseph and Mary their first piece of land. “You are talented with your hands. Put your mind and hands to work and build a tree farm,” Conrad advised Joseph. Joseph did and the Farm came to be known in Mercer County, New Jersey as the Varanyak Farm.
It was 1931 and Mary and Joseph were about to celebrate their first Christmas on the Varanyak Farm. They strolled toward the back of the property relishing this moment of their first Christmas. Joseph was the gardener; however, he was not the one that spotted the tree. “This is the tree, it’s perfect,” She told Joseph.
Joseph went to work to unearth the 4 foot Norway Spruce. They carried it to their home in a bucket. Decorating it was a delight, even during the Great Depression. After Christmas, Mary and Joseph planted it outside their home. Mary bore a son three years later, then twin boys. She continued to care for the tree. Cow manure was the main ingredient. Mary went to the tree to share her cares, tears, fears, pain, happiness and dreams.
In 1933 Mary remembered hearing about the first Rockefeller Tree in New York. She did not dare say it out loud.
One day my little Norway Spruce will make it to New York. Little did she know that the first Rockefeller tree happened in 1931 by construction workers decorating it with tin cans and scrap paper.
Her pain came with the debilitating accident of her oldest son. He suffered a construction accident and she had to make the heart breaking decision to admit him permanently to a nursing home.
Mary and Joseph taught their twin sons, Bill and Bob, how to run the farm. “Mom, what are you doing with that cow manure?” Bill and Bob asked their mom. Mary would stir and liquefy the manure in a bucket for the tree. "Feeding the tree. This tree is going to be in New York one day!" The tree continued to grow; meanwhile, Bill and Bob grew up. They graduated in 1952 and worked for their father. The Norway Spruce that was once 4 feet was now a little more than 20 feet tall.
Mary lived another 46 years. Her husband, Joseph passed and the boys took care of the farm. Bill did some traveling around the world, but eventually returned home. In 1998 Mary Kemper Varanyak passed. She did not get to see her tree make it to New York.
Dreams do not die. Bill and Bob continued working the Varanyak Farm. One March Day in 2008, Bill noticed a helicopter hovering their property. Little did he know they had spotted their mother's tree. Two days later, the late David Morvak knocked on their door and said, “I think your tree would look great at the Rockefeller Center!” Bill and Bob were astatic. The tree was about to go to New York, from country to City, just as their mother had done in 1929.
December came quickly with a snow storm early. Bill looked out the back door one morning after the snow storm and saw a blue bird sitting on the Norway Spruce. The blue bird was rare in the middle of winter, especially after a snow storm. The next day came and the blue bird was still there. The blue bird stayed for 3 days in the 72 foot spruce. Then after the third day came, the trucks and chainsaw showed up. The blue bird was gone. Mary had continued her lucky three day trend. The boys knew the tree was happily on its way to New York. However, the tree did not have to wait three days to find direction. A New York City Parade awaited the tree!
By Jessica F. Ivins
Thank you to Bill Varanyak for the telephone interview in September 2011
This is non-fiction, however, there were some added information to clarify the story. I was not sure what vessel she came over to NY in or what she said when she got here. Bob said it was the Queen Mary, but it did not land here until 1936. Needless to say, Mary Kemper did land in NY and wonder the streets for three days. Their older brother did have an accident. Mary did want the tree in Rockefeller center. The tree was found by the famous helicoptor eyes of David Morvak, and the rest is history.
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